


Silenced Symphony

by Alahnore



Category: BlazBlue
Genre: Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-11
Updated: 2017-12-30
Packaged: 2018-12-26 09:15:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 30,491
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12055878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alahnore/pseuds/Alahnore
Summary: Humanity sat on the brink of extinction, not just as a race but as their sense of selves. It was a cyclic war, of Gestalts and Replicants versus the twisted Aliens and Shades; of one’s justice to one’s vengeance, the need to prove worth and the need to find a reason to exist. A Song engulfs the world, and there could only be prayers of who, or what, remained.(Blazblue x Nier x Nier: Automata x Drakengard 3)





	1. Snow in Summer

**Author's Note:**

> This is a heavy AU with primarily Blazblue characters set in a world with elements of Nier, Nier: Automata, and Drakengard 3 fused together. Most elements will be explained in story, but some basic understanding of the other games is appreciated.
> 
> If you find something too confusing to understand, feel free to PM. I can give basic info without story spoilers.

 

 

_They used to say, “The path to hell is paved with good intentions.” And yours were the best of intentions. I suppose, that’s why they became such a solid foundation._

_Looking back I wonder how you really felt then. What you really thought. What you really meant._

_Looking further back, I wonder, did you know? Were you aware, at all, of where your actions and decisions would go?_

_As soon as you accepted “that,” did you realize?_

_If you did, and you continued this, I want to say I hate you._

_But I think in the end, somehow after all of this, I still ended up loving you the most._

- Grimoire:KAZUMA=KVAL

 

* * *

 

 

With a clatter Jin dropped his sword unceremoniously, his body dropping into the hard mattress soon after. He could still feel his wounds ooze, but a part of him was too tired. Somehow, after all the enhancements, he still could feel exhausted. No matter how powerful he’d grow, the enemies would find a way to match him. Were they evolving just as much as he and the others?

Jin rolled to his back, staring at the flickering light that illuminated his little barracks room. His sheets were getting bloody and he knew the sight was only going to make a certain someone fuss, but he was also not in the mood. He should make his report to the Commander, but surely that could wait…

He heard his door open, and while protocol dictated he’d get up and show respect, he honestly didn’t have the energy. He heard the clucking of a tongue and he expected it to start lashing at him in a lecture, but it never came. Footsteps carried his visitor to the bathroom, and he could hear running water.

“Don’t.” was all Jin said when the water stopped.

“Don’t you ‘don’t’ me.” Tsubaki fired back, carrying a tray to the nightstand nearby. On it, several washcloths and a basin of warm water. He could already smell the medicinal ointment she mixed in it.

Maybe this was becoming routine. Normally Tsubaki would lecture or pitch some dignified fit at him, and either his indifference or a stern word stopped her and she’d stutter some apology or other. But ‘normally’ stopped being normal months ago, didn’t it? Jin couldn’t keep up with the amount of time between then and now. Tsubaki leaned into his view, her eyes narrowed and her lips set in a frown. Two parts of Jin could admit, even frowning she was still such a pretty thing. What he _couldn’t_ recall was, was she _always_? He heard the hum of his sword, the whisper of his own voice but it wasn’t his thought as it went through his mind.

Yes. Tsubaki always was pretty.

“Don’t pass out on me either.” Tsubaki scolded, and Jin pushed himself to sit up, causing her to straighten as well. “You know I’m angry with you.”

Jin didn’t bother to answer her, instead he just started to pull off the tattered cloth that was left of his uniform. Strips of blue and white, spattered and splotched with blood and foul odors, fell to the floor. Within a few moments he was wordlessly shirtless. Normally, Tsubaki would become flustered and avert her eyes, like it were some taboo, but it seemed she grew accustomed to his torn flesh and set herself to the task of cleaning his wounds.

As she wiped away blood, grime and alien fluids, Tsubaki muttered to herself. “Can’t believe you… every time… at least there’s no seithr in these… Jin, why do you do this to me?”

“Do what?” he asked, slightly offended she’d blame him for her constant stress and worry. It wasn’t his fault she couldn’t handle it.

“If you’re not going to take an operator’s advice, why bother having me as one?” she asked. She pressed hard into a particularly nasty gash, making him break his stoneface to wince.

“You normally give good advice and you’re able to watch all angles. But letting them flee and regroup was not wise.” Jin answered stoically.

“Neither was running after them and breaking formation!” Tsubaki lectured. Ah, there it was. The redhead continued to roughly clean his wounds, but Jin resigned himself to basically having deserved it. “It could have been a trap—you could have gotten killed, maybe even Relapsed!”

Ah, yes. Relapse. A fate far worse than just dying. “Yukianesa also guides me. He knows what I can and can’t handle.”

Tsubaki turned her glare to the sword in question. “You’re _both_ idiots.”

Was she always such a worrywart? Did she always act like this when she was worried or things did not go the way she predicted? Yukianesa told him a very solid yes. Jin partly wished he had _all_ of his Gestalt’s memories. It’d make handling these sort of things easier.

But if he did, there’d be no reason for the Gestalt. Even he knew that. And the moment he honestly thought he had no reason for his original soul, he’d relapse, and his body would forever be just an enhanced Replicant. He could never be properly human again.

“You’re not listening to me.” Tsubaki observed flatly. She dropped the bloodied cloth into the basin, the water sloshing about and barely not splashing over. “Fine. I can tell when I’m not wanted. You and your damn sword can just… sit here and be lonely!”

Normally Jin wouldn’t stop her. He sighed heavily, shaking his head. “The enemies forces cannot be allowed a chance to recoup, they seem to evolve their tactics based on the survivors—”

Tsubaki wasn’t having his logic. She got up, straightened her uniform and picked up her hat from where she put it down. “You can clean yourself up.” She huffed, marching straight out of his dorm and even being angry enough to _not_ do him a favor and shut the door.

Jin sighed after she was gone for about five minutes, getting himself to his feet. It takes him a few moments, but he does get to moving about the dorm, picking up his tattered clothes and dumping the bloodied pail of water. He eventually gets dressed once more into yet another uniform, deciding Tsubaki did a good enough job on his wounds and headed to the central command area to give his report.

Jin stepped out into the hallway, the corridors of Armaros pulsing green with their magical lights that lined the walls. He never understood how this damn fortress worked, other than it was always crackling with energy. Something about the way the lights pulsed, the way the energy hummed at every turn made it almost feel alive. A living, breathing fortress of magic. Jin dismissed the thought promptly when he finally stood at the large doors leading to the central command room. The doors were always open, as a myriad of people walked through them at every moment--soldiers, both still fully human and non-enhanced Replicants, with the occasional mage or Nox Nyctores thrown into the mix. Jin’s eyes spied and met with Makoto Nanaya, a fellow Nox and a member of his squad in the Power of Order formation. She gave him an accusing look, and all he could surmise was that Tsubaki complained at her and he was duly at fault for upsetting the redhead. He simply turned his gaze and ignored his teammate, heading into the large oval room filled to capacity with operators at terminals and the walls covered in translucent screens of maps and still footage.

At the oval’s bottom tier was a round table, tall-backed seats circling it with roman numeral numbers etched into the wood. At the ninth seat sat a young woman--slender legs crossed and arms crossed and tucked under her ample bosom, a large purple pointed hat topping her crown of long coral hair. She appeared to be glaring from under the rim, and as Jin approached he followed her gaze two seats aside from her to seat seven, where an incredibly young boy sat. Where the sorceress was tense and angry, the boy was relaxed and almost at peace, sitting so primly in a seat far too big for him as he navigated a screen from the table. Yet somehow, as comical as it seemed, the boy fit there perfectly, his blue eyes sharp and far too mature to match the face they sat in.

Jin approached the seventh seat, kneeling down just behind it in a sign of respect and so the boy could hear him better. “Commander Carl, I’ve come to report.” he said flatly, ignoring the way the woman turned her glare to him.

Carl didn’t stop his tapping on the screen in front of him. “Hopefully a little less worked up and emotional.” he replied, sarcasm thinly veiled.

If anything else, Jin could appreciate Carl Clover’s no-nonsense approach to this. He knew well war resulted in injuries, even deaths, and kept his emotion detached as needed. A leader could not run off emotional outbursts, and Carl was a model of that sort of leader. No wonder he commanded the Power of Order for the last two hundred years with no protests; he could take care of his soldiers but keep them in line as well.

Jin wondered: was it because Carl was fully human, or becaused he underwent Gestalization so many times to survive those years?

Carl stopped his tapping when Jin didn’t begin, shifting a bit to glance at him. Jin cleared his throat slightly before giving his report, skipping over the scouting stage where he sat and did nothing but talk to Tsubaki. He started when the battle broke out, how the ruined Hierarchical City exploded into chaos with a sudden surge of both aliens and their Shades. He did not note any surge of seithr, a fact that made both Carl and the sorceress frown. Jin’s report concluded with his success of assassinating the alien leader, although he was not present for the cleanup of any possible remnants.

The sorceress unfolded her arms and rested her elbows on the counter, hands folded neatly to form a bridge her chin could rest on. “All Shades had been eliminated.” she adds. “The mages sent were sure and conducted several city-wide scans. And there would be no aliens without their Shades.”

“Although it’s to be noted there were more Shades than aliens.” Carl countered, almost gently. That only fired the woman’s glare up more. “Mistress Nine, even you were noting the past few weeks that the aliens seemed fewer in number compared to the Shades.”

“Yes. It seems we’re about to wipe out all of the corrupted humans. If we can succeed in destroying the Shades and safekeeping the rest of humanity’s Gestalts, we just might actually have a life.” Nine replied tersely. “The problem is when they attack our convoys between the Cities and to here. Relocation of outlying Gestalt factories has been at a standstill--either we risk convoy attack and bolstering the Shade enemy count, and effectively relapsing our respective Replicant citizens into potential aliens, or we leave them and spread our forces thin to keep city defenses strong, but Armaros less manned.”

“Armaros will not fall.” Carl replied coolly. Jin had to appreciate the hot-cold dynamic of the pair. How long had they both sit on the leadership to have this sort of relationship? “I’ve told you that many times.”

“I’m not willing to risk our Grimoires, our only fully developed means of merging Gestalt and Replicant to human, over your pride of your damn castle.” Nine fired back. “Need I remind you of why the seat of One is empty?”

Carl’s cool, dispassionate mask faded immediately at the mention of the former leader. His young face flushed red, eyes widening and pupils shrinking behind his glasses. “Do not mention that bastard!” he hissed.

Nine sat back, and she seemed to savor her little victory. “Like it or not, Commander, we lost One due to _pride_. He prided himself over his impressive skills, thought he was above all else because he made the Gestalt Project, and he ends up a pile of salt. Just like so many others.”

Jin started to creep back as Carl’s postured only stiffened further. “He disappeared. He isn’t _dead_ . If he was _dead_ I wouldn’t care. For all we know he’s the damn leader of the aliens!”

“And if he is then it doesn’t change what I said. Either way, he fell and he fell from too much self pride. Armaros is impressive, but walls have crumbled before the aliens and Shades. I’m not willing to lose our only means of restoring humanity, unless you want to relocate the remaining Grimoires? What, shall we launch them into space?” Nine spat.

Carl scowled. “The loss of Grimoire Jubei was great--”

“And _that_ was from a rogue! _One_ man, Clover! From the middle of a goddamn guarded barracks!” Nine snapped.

Jin excused himself then, moving quickly to leave. Everyone just about heard when one of the oldest Grimoires, Jubei, had been stolen. It was one less Grimoire that humanity could rely on to put the souls and bodies back together… although Nine’s reaction confirmed it was indeed made from her husband, the legendary swordsman Jubei. What no one knew, however, was the who or how, and Jin was not going to have any reason to be dragged into that political pit. Especially if it was against Mistress Nine of the Sages Council of Humanity.

Carl did not call for him back, so Jin assumed his role was done for now. He checked his sword carefully once outside the command room, ensuring it was not only untarnished but that his soul housed inside was still clean. While the perk of being converted to a Nox Nyctores made him resilient to relapse and the Scrawl, having his Gestalt in close proximity to heavy seithr always ran the risk of contracting the Red Eye Disease. The design of a Nox’ soul weapon usually made that a non issue, but nowadays somehow even Nox Nyctores were relapsing in some fashion, be it Scrawl or RED. It made these skirmishes more dangerous even for the elite, and when _they_ fell to the enemy, a Shade _and_ Alien end up being born. Perhaps he should not be so harsh to Tsubaki regarding her worries. He was one of the most prominent frontline units…

Jin quietly resolved to himself to, in some indirect manner, apologize to his old friend. Even as just Replicants, he remembered they had some sort of connection when they were human. He shouldn't squander that, even with war raging around them. Especially with the war going on. As he wandered back to his quarters and pondered on how to make the redhead forgive him, Jin’s instincts made him stop abruptly in the hallway outside the barracks, a deep scowl immediately on his face. Yet although he stopped quite early, the newest intruder wasn't paying attention as usual, and he held his hand out so their head slammed right into his palm.

“Watch yourself,” Jin snapped as the svelte girl stumbled back, green eyes wide with shock.

Noel shrunk back when she recognized Jin’s face. It was no secret he, like many others, had little respect and less kindness toward her. “Jin…” she stammered.

“We are _not_ on first name basis. Move. You're in the way, as usual.”

The way Noel’s face fell was both a bother and a relief. Jin hated her face. Something about the familiarity of it left him beyond uncomfortable, and no matter how he reasoned it, he couldn't adapt to it. And what he couldn't adapt to, he disliked. Tsubaki had of course lectured him over it, especially given the girls were friends, but it was the one thing Jin was not going to budge on: the failure of a Murakumo was _not_ worth his time and effort.

Noel meekly stepped aside, by now used to his icy demeanor and biting remarks. She watched as he strode away into the barracks area, leaving her feeling worse than before and walking away not just absently, but now with her head hung low and shoulders dropped. Even her own commander despised her, for things she couldn't control or help or change. Yet she couldn't completely blame or hate him if she couldn't do so to the same to all the others that treated her thus. After all, she was a mess up. A failure and mistake. After so many years Noel couldn't even get angry by the fact anymore. It was just life for her as the incomplete, the non-human, the rejected Handmaiden and every other insult she heard under muttered breaths.

Noel found her footsteps slowing. Somehow she always lingered on Jin’s insults the most, finding them the most painful. Even through the years of her building her apathetic wall, Jin always broke through it and struck her right in the heart. It couldn’t be because he was her commander; his cold act toward her had hurt since the day Carl inducted her into the Power of Order when she could not properly sync with the Master Unit. Did Jin always have such an attitude to people he didn’t know? Tsubaki would make excuses, but Noel was fairly sure he just specifically hated _her_ for whatever reason. Was her failed smelting linked to something personal to him? Did someone he know work at that Cauldron when it was attacked? She tried to save everyone, but there were so many aliens that day…

When she realized she had walked a complete circle in her daze, Noel stopped and shook her head hard. No. It wasn’t her fault her Cauldron was targeted, or that the system failed. It wasn’t her fault it resulted in a critical failure and she was spat out incomplete. If nothing else, if she hadn’t been, so many others would have died. Murakumos take time to fully process once awake, but she had been conscious as soon as the attack cut the power. She saved people, even if she was no better than any other Nox Nyctores.

That’s what Noel told herself, anyway. Whatever it took to keep putting one foot forward, Carl once said to her. Even if it were lies.

Noel forced herself to keep her head raised and shoulders squared as she backtracked and resumed her original journey. She refused to make eye contact with anyone, even those who didn’t curse at her in some way, just to keep her focus and keep the thoughts blocked out. Just as she reached her destination, about to enter central command, strong hands grasped her forearms from behind. Noel squeaked, tensing up and eyes widening as she was swept into a bear hug.

“Noellers!” Makoto’s voice rang out from behind her. “There you are! I’ve been looking all over for you… did you lock yourself up in your room again?”

“N-no…!” Noel forced herself to calm down, relaxing in the beastkin’s hold. Normally she enjoyed Makoto’s sweeping affections, but to have it come out of nowhere really was shocking. “I was… having some issues. Commander Carl finally said to come see him.”

Makoto gently set the small woman back on her feet, letting her turn around to see the other. Her large squirrel tail twitched when she looked Noel over, the blond unable to hold back exactly what she was really feeling like. “It is… issues-issues, or _issues_?”

“What?” Noel raised an eyebrow, then shook her head. “Technical.” she tried again.

Makoto wasn’t sure if she should accept that. Noel had technical things going on, surely, but she could tell when Noel was in her depression pits. It wasn’t exactly a secret. “Well,” Makoto went on. “Is it gonna take long? Tsubaki wants to go out for dinner, and we both were hoping you could join.”

Noel forced herself to laugh. “Jin made her mad again, huh? I could make her dinner…”

Makoto mentally swore and scrambled. “No no no, especially if you’re having issues! It’s… it’s gonna be an easy, relaxing time for us all! So no cooking! For anyone!”

Noel tilted her head, but shrugged her shoulders slightly. That made some sense. “Alright… but I don’t know how long it’ll take. If it’s too long I’ll let you know; you two can go without me.”

“Or we’ll re-plan it for tomorrow so you _can_ go.” Makoto offered instead. “Tsubaki will probably get mad at Jin again by then.”

“I’m not a relationship expert but… it seems counterproductive if she’s always mad at him…”

Makoto shrugged. “Who are we to tell her? As long as he doesn’t really hurt her… then I’ll be hurting _him_.” She set her hands on her hips. “Anyway, you should go see the commander. I think Mistress Nine’s done yelling at him.”

Noel openly cringed. She’d hope the sorceress wasn’t around… “What happened…?”

“Who knows? I think someone brought up Grimoire Jubei again.”

She probably wasn’t done, but Noel couldn’t wait too long. Her shoulders drooped, head low again. Jin’s insults hurt a lot, but he usually wasn’t very wordy about it. Nine, however, was a savage; there was no doubt the woman hated anything Murakumo or Amaterasu related at all, and the fact Noel wasn’t even a ‘proper’ one probably just made it that much easier for Nine to single her out. Makoto’s own stance dropped when she saw the change over Noel, but even as she moved to hugged her friend, Noel just patted her arm and assured she was fine before pushing out of Makoto’s genuine warmth to enter the command room.

People moved aside for Noel. Those who didn’t hate her, did so out of respect of what she was supposed to be; those that did, moved to avoid touching her in case they ended up tainted somehow. She wasn’t Replicant after all, there was no becoming human for her, so to them she was little better than a robot with sentience. According to Nine, who turned angry glares to her when she descended close to the command table, Noel didn’t even have sentience. Just a doll, broken and useless, but nonetheless strings pulled by the Master Unit.

“Commander Carl…” Noel intoned, throwing herself into as much of a salute as she could. The young man looked to her, and nodded, letting her lower the salute.

“There you are, Noel.” Carl greeted her, but warmly so. At least _this_ commander liked her. “Good timing as well. Come. We’re better off going to R &D.”

Nine’s gaze shifted to Carl briefly, but was just as angry. “Keep what I said in mind, _Clover_.” she muttered darkly.

Carl tensed, but climbed out of his seat, grabbing his characteristic top hat to place on his head. “Of course, Mistress Nine. I will consider it.” was all he said before he went past Noel, heading for the exit. The blond quickly followed, not willing to be left with Nine, who turned her attention back to the table and scowled.

Noel kept close to Carl, this time the people parting because it was the top commander. There was little talk between them; Noel wasn’t sure ever what to say to him, and Carl never seemed the type for small talk. Even on board the elevator leading to the R&D department, neither said a word. Noel felt small and incompetent, not really worthy to take over Carl’s attention, but Carl was just quiet and politely held the doors for her as they made their way to the lab. Her skin crawled once they were within--Noel had her fill of labs after her sudden birth and incomplete smelting. If she never saw a lab again, it’d be too soon.

It was, unfortunately, still too soon. Carl motioned for her to sit near a mechanical device, and Noel simply did as bid, even going ahead to take the initiative and opening both of the blue devices on either side of her head, revealing the ports they covered and protected. Carl gave her an appreciated smile, starting up the machine before he gently connected the wires to the ports, the girl wincing as she felt the prongs pierce the thin synthetic skin and meld into the systems beneath.

“Considering your plague of dreams,” Carl began, startling Noel. “I’d like to see if perhaps we can synch you up to the Master Unit. If you hear a voice calling, perhaps it’s ‘Her,’ calling for you. Perhaps your systems have matured enough, despite the incomplete smelting…”

Noel’s eyes went downcast. She knew Carl meant no harm, but to be spoken to as the non-human she was still bothered her. “If I do synch properly… will I be a Handmaiden?” she asked quietly.

“I think we can get you started on that path,” Carl replied. “You won’t be like Lady Lambda. I doubt you’ll be taking to the battlefield, but perhaps it’ll be enough you can personally guard Amaterasu, and Lady Lambda will be more available to help on the field. God knows we need more firepower.”

Noel only met Lambda once, when they first attempted synchronization after her botched smelting. Lambda was a lot more like an android than she was, Noel thought--cold and standoffish, and spoke like one expected of a machine. It unnerved Noel that their face was practically the same, and set in that emotionless stare only made it worse. But there was one thing Noel knew Lambda had that not many of even the Nox Nyctores forces did, and that was raw power.

Lambda was the eleventh Handmaiden to Amaterasu, a full-fledged Murakumo. A man-made but Goddess blessed being that had a shred of the Master Unit’s power and were like the Goddess’ avatars and messengers. Over the years, the Murakumo dwindled in number, largely due to the war and also due to difficulty to create. Noel was the twelfth technically, but her smelting had all sorts of complications due to a variety of sabotages from the aliens and Shades. In fact, Noel had been in ‘incubation’ for so long, that the unit after her, Nu, was able to be smelted fully. From what Noel heard, however, Nu’s smelting was rushed because of the lack of Murakumos and Lambda had been injured at some point. People speculate it was that rushing that lead not only to Nu’s accident and the massive massacre that resulted, but also why Noel’s smelting took even longer. No one wanted another Black Beast incident.

Perhaps Noel shouldn’t be so bitter for her situation. Better to be incomplete than the reason so many Replicants, Gestalts, Nox and humans were slaughtered and turned. Noel’s eyes slowly turned to the massive covered tube, knowing her ‘sister’s’ body suspended within, kept ‘alive’ only to be a living siphon of energy.

Yes. Better incomplete, and alive, than a mere tool. Did all fallen Murakumo end up that way?

“Noel, are you ready?”

Noel nodded. Perhaps the Master Unit would pity her this time. She closed her eyes, feeling the pulse of digital information bleed it’s way into her. It was a stream, then a river, then a pulsating waterfall--it covered her insides and found every wire, switch and plug. It felt like something was poking and prodding her from within, an invasive and uncomfortable entity seeking to go deeper within her. It was almost violating, and Noel wanted to vomit. This felt the opposite of what she’d expect of a proper syncing. She wanted the Master Unit to embrace her, like a mother would a long lost daughter, and welcome her to the fold of burdened divinity.

Noel felt tears well up in her eyes as the prodding worsened, soon turning from blunt to sharp stabs. Her wires were slashed, the switches torn and plugs ripped; her skin was on fire and sensory information was being scrambled and burned. The picture of the lab around her became hazy, blurry, watery--then it became like cutouts, discolored sections and squares of corruption. The lab disappeared in her eyes, replaced with darkness; the darkness was soon replaced with blotchy images. Shapes, moving to and fro, and her ears filled with static. Soon they were filled with screaming, pained and dying, so much like when she first woke up to her creators being torn apart. The blotches took different shapes, but the screams remained the same. One blotch seemed to spray from the back as a massive sword shape pierced it. Guttural growls could be heard under the screaming, and she swore she saw a beast turn to her. One eye was red, hungry and murderous, with the other green, wide and confused.

Noel didn’t realize it was her screaming until Carl unplugged her from the machinery. The imagery faded abruptly, phasing out like a channel had been changed, the lab showing back. Carl’s face hovered nearby, and Noel half turned, burying her face against his chest and sobbed. She could feel little trickles of blood come from her ports, running down through her hair and down her neck, staining her clothes as her tears stained Carl’s.

The commander murmured an apology, and Noel didn’t blame him. He tried his best to comfort her, to hold her a little like she longed for the Goddess to do so, but it wasn’t enough. She clung to him and could only ask _why_.

Carl didn’t answer. There was no answer. Not yet, and as far as Noel was concerned, not ever.


	2. Endless Despair II

“I’m sorry, Noel,” Carl said for the hundredth time, carefully keeping his eyes averted as he handed her new, bloodless clothes. “I honestly thought…”

“N-no… it’s okay, commander,” Noel muttered as she dressed, shame the last thing on her mind. “I thought so too. It seemed like She was calling me… I thought, maybe I was good enough now…”

Noel carefully closed her ports, letting the hair clips seal perfectly before she sighed heavily. Maybe it was all wishful thinking. Her dreams had been so intense, seeing her hands and arms encased in armor, the tale-tell bladed ‘wings’ swirling around her as she cut down enemies, protected her friends… the reflection of blue eyes in the metal. She thought she was accepted, that maybe the Goddess would re-smelt her. But it was all pipe dreams it seemed.

“I’m sorry to have wasted your time.” Noel added.

Carl tipped his hat back up, frowning. “Hardly. If you have any problems, Noel, you just speak up. You’re part of the Order too, and therefore it’s my duty to see to your health and answer concerns. Yours is a special case, too; any other Murakumos that didn’t finish smelting simply died. You’re obvious blessed in some way, so… let’s be thankful for that. You get a chance.”

Noel’s eyes looked back to Nu’s coffin, and Carl’s look followed. His own expression darkened when he guessed what she was thinking. “A second chance… not everyone gets that.”

“Will she ever recover?” Noel finally asked, drawing Carl’s attention. “Surely after this long…”

Carl shook his head. “That incident changed Nu.” he said as comforting as he could. “It wasn’t her fault… we didn’t know she could be infected by the RED. But she assimilated all of the prototype Beast Units and created that monstrosity. Survivor’s guilt is a powerful breaking thing, Noel, and Nu couldn’t handle it once she was free. Once she realized she killed so many, destroyed so much… and lost her own partner, she broke down. She’s not alive in there, Noel. Not emotionally, mentally, or spiritually.”

Just a body then. Noel couldn’t imagine that sort of pain. Just thinking of losing just her friends made Noel’s heart want to break, but to have been the reason an entire order was wiped out… to have been the one to kill the person she loved… Noel hoped Carl was right. That Nu was, ultimately, dead. And that Noel wouldn’t end up that way. Hopefully no one else ever did.

Maybe it was Nu’s case that made Lambda seem so cold and robotic. To become attached to anyone in a war… Noel’s mind went to her friends, to Makoto, and she sighed heavily. If she were a fully-fledged Murakumo, surely she’d be able to protect everyone. Especially Makoto.

Noel hopped off the table, straightening her uniform out. It didn’t seem too late, and maybe some time at dinner with Tsubaki and Makoto would help get her through the rest of this disappointing day. She gave Carl a salute, knowing he’d want to try and comfort her further but she did not feel up to dealing with it after this, and Carl was wise enough to take the hint. He slowly saluted her back.

“Glory to humanity.” Noel intoned. That seemed so impersonal though, and even she knew he was trying his best, so she gently added, “Thank you, for trying.”

Carl sighed, dropping his salute. “You’re welcome, Noel.”

Noel headed for the door after there were no more words, her hand enveloping the handle when Armaros went from it’s usual green to an ominous red. She froze, information flooding her again but from another source this time, the reason for the alarm well known to her before the fortress itself began to sound off. Carl flew to the nearest console, opening the channels and Nine’s face filled the screens.

“All non-convalescing combatants are to report to the teleportation sector for immediate deployment,” Nine’s voice rang out. “Hierarchical City Ibukido is under heavy attack. Power of Order: Recovery of _Grimoire: Tenjo_ is your highest importance! All non-Order combatants are to search for surviving Replicants, Gestalts and humans as well as destroy all found Shades and aliens.”

“Ibukido?” Carl blurted. “It’s nearly as fortified as Armaros! Nine, what’s going on?”

Nine’s portrait shifted and she looked to the side, wherever Carl’s had popped up on her console. “Operators are still looking. We received a distress signal followed by an inner city explosion. They’re not coming from the outside. It looks like one of their Gestalt storehouses became saturated in seithr and the souls there are all Shades. Naturally their corresponding Replicants are now aliens.”

Noel nearly ripped the door off it’s hinges as she raced out, ignoring Carl’s calls for her. She headed right for the teleportation ring, her Bolverk already summoned and holstered at her back by the time she arrived. Rows and rows of combatants were teleported en mass, and Noel could see Jin and Makoto with the other Nox Nyctores that made up the Power of Order. She quickly took a place next to Makoto, who grasped her hand briefly.

“No heroics.” Makoto told her sternly. Jin glanced over to them before openly scowling and glancing away, but for once Noel hardly noticed or cared. “We get the Grimoire to safety then focus on the civilians.”

“You’re a fool,” Jin snapped. “We are more resilient to RED and Relapse than our non-Nox soldiers. We get the Grimoire then we relieve them of the fighting, let them help the civilians.”

Makoto’s eyes narrowed and she glared at him, but Noel nodded in agreement. “He’s right, Makoto. I want to help the people do, but our best bet is doing it on the battlefield. They already hit one storehouse… we can’t afford to lose more people to the enemy.”

Makoto sighed, the sound of it lost as the row ahead of them teleported. “I guess.” is all she got out before their squad vanished.

As soon as Jin’s feet hit the ground he was running, one hand holding his sword as the other quickly fixed the earpiece into its place, the tiny screen covering his eye. “Power of Order has landed. Tsubaki, coordinate lock and then get us to the Grimoire using the fastest route.”

It took a few minutes before he heard a reply, but Tsubaki’s voice came in crisp and clear; it was a relief. He half-expected to lose communications. _“Understood. Route updating to all Power of Order units.”_

Jin’s feet skidded as the route updated in the screen and the information was processed, a quick turn of his body soon had him running in the correct direction. Behind he could heard his squad fall in time with him, and further back other soldiers. Elsewhere he could hear fighting and screaming, and once they cleared the building they had landed in, Jin had to stop. Ibukido, a city he vaguely remembered being massive, organized and gorgeous, was up in smokes. Several layers of the city had already collapsed, and he could see the ghostly outlines of near shapeless beings hopping around the ruins. Their bodies were a gradient of gold to black, and some had already morphed to near demonic shapes. Some held junk and pieces of metal, throwing massive boulders at soldiers and fleeing civilians, while others roamed with nothing but their claws and shrieking voices, running down anything that moved. It didn’t matter how many times he saw them, Jin always felt his skin crawl at the sight of Shades--corrupted Gestalts, human souls, that now sought to give the same fate to other souls.

He didn’t stick around to see the corresponding aliens--the Replicants, the human bodies--and forced himself to move. He was the leader of this squad now, and he needed to get the mission done. He stepped over bodies, not yet moving but soon he knew they would, and ignored the screams of those dying or turning. Beyond some of the rubble loomed the factory, where the precious Grimoire was locked up, and who knew what else at this point. The route showed a map of a road, but once they reached the staircase leading to a higher level that had been reduced to nothing but rubble, Jin knew they had to deviate off the path.

He didn’t have time for Tsubaki to try and update her information in real time. “All squad members,” he announced. “You have your coordinates. There is no straight shot to the factory--split into smaller groups and find the quickest route! Any that make it, announce yourself and leave with the Grimoire; the rest will remain and fight as necessary!”

Tsubaki’s voice protested in her earpiece, but there was no arguing this now. Quickly the Power of Order split as bid, and all that was left with him was Makoto. He found it odd, as he expected her to tag along with the Murakumo failure, but he wasn’t going to bother hashing details out now. He turned to the remains of the staircase, drawing his sword and giving a quick slash. A sprinkle of diamond dust fell over the stone remains before they solidified, forming a sort of stairs. It was a perilous climb, but Jin was used to the bite of ice as he sheathed the sword and began to ascend. Makoto swore under her breath, but her beastkin genes would be of use here at least as she scrambled behind him, nearly slipping several times. Whatever the hell told him that an ice-covered slope was better than rubble needed to be beaten in the head a few times, but Jin seemed to scale up the ice flawlessly. Makoto was much slower, but as she was climbing she could find the small hand and footholds he either made or his sword made for him, helping her reach the top. By then, of course, Jin was already far ahead.

“I hate Jin.” Makoto growled before she got her feet back on solid, non-slippery ground and running after him.

Tsubaki’s voice sighed in her earpiece. “ _I do too._ ”

 

* * *

 

 

Noel had broken orders, but she hadn’t realized it until she shot down her sixth Shade. Just as Bolverk’s bullet split apart the Shade’s head and it’s sister pistol came down to crush the rest of the body down, Noel realized she was alone. The wispy Shade’s body crumpled to the ground with a murmur of a foreign language before it faded away, leaving only a pool of blood, and Noel breathed heavily a few times before flicking her pistol in an effort to fling off the splattering of blood there. Unlike others, she didn’t need the external screen, seeing the information ‘internally’ and noticing she was relatively closer to the goal than the other units, yet as she gazed up she realized she had gone down several layers. Perhaps she could enter from a lower back way…? Most Gestalt factories did reach down deeply.

Noel decided to carry on by herself. It was easier that way. The squad was odd-numbered, so either a group would be too big or someone was going to be alone… better her than anyone else. Keeping the end coordinate in mind she hurried to what seemed to be an intact building that possibly could have connected to the factory as a whole. With Ibukido in ruins and quickly starting to become ground zero, it was getting difficult to navigate. It didn’t help Noel had never been to this city before, not while conscious anyway. The deeper she went, the less navigation she heard from the operators, and the thicker the seithr seemed to get. But she wasn’t a Replicant, so surely she couldn’t contract RED.

Surely.

Noel ran as fast as she could when the outside seemed to explode in fresh fighting. The faster they got the Grimoire, the quicker she could relieve her less resilient comrades, whether they saw her as one or not. She shifted herself so her shoulder rammed into the metal doors blocking her way, the force and speed of the collision sending the doors flying and off their tracks. Noel stopped dead when she heard a surprised yelp on the other side, pistols raised and eyes wide. But it wasn’t a Shade’s scream, or even an alien’s garble.

At the sight of her guns the individual immediately raised his arms, hands clear and plain in sight. “Whoa, whoa now!” he protested, and Noel’s finger shifted off one trigger to a small switch, activating the attached flashlight on one of her pistols.

A tall man stood in front of her, covered in dust and debris. What could have been an immaculate black suit was frayed and powdered white, and even the hat on his head looked misshapen. The bits of pale skin she saw on his hands and face were covered in scratches, but there was no blood coming through the clothes. Had he been working and was trapped here?

Noel slowly lowered her pistols, and after a moment, the man lowered his hands, one settling on the fedora on his head. “Yeesh, young lady, you about killed me with a heart attack.” he drawled. “I thought you were a Shade for sure. About to send my prayers and all that.”

“Are you… whole?” she asked, hesitantly.

The man tilted his head slightly. “I… guess? To be frank I’m not entirely sure of where I am or what I’m doing here. One minute I was enjoying lunch and the next here I am.”

Noel kept the flashlight on him as she analyzed him. Nothing of his structure came back as a Replicant. Had the Grimoire accidentally fused the Gestalts and Replicants back to human? “I am Noel of the Power of Order. We are here to evacuate civilians and the Grimoire.”

The man smiled, although she found it odd anyone would be smiling now. “Oh? God be praised, I’m saved then! To be honest I was pretty sure I was a dead man, which dead is better than Shade or alien, right? Although aren’t we far from the Grimoire?”

“We’re at the factory. Don’t you work here?”

The man lost his smile. “Er, no?”

Noel frowned, internally attempting to reach the Armaros. Nothing but static came back, but hopefully it was at least one way. Perhaps the wrong Gestalt fused with the wrong Replicant… but in that case wouldn’t he be a Shade? Now that she had a survivor, however, she couldn’t go deeper into the factory… “Come on. If we get to the surface I can get you out of here.”

“Bless you, young lady.” the man said, stepping forward carefully. He removed his hat and gave her a small bow before replacing it on his head. “I can rightly assume the way is clear, giving how armed you are?”

Noel shook her head, turning away to lead to the nearest route she could determine to the surface. “You never know with the Shades.”

The man hummed in agreement, falling in step behind her. “Fair enough. That sounds familiar. Maybe I did work here… or somewhere like this. Which Grimoire is this?”

Noel glanced over her shoulder at him before turning her attention back to the front. “Ibukido’s Grimoire is Tenjo.”

“Tenjo… Tenjo… no… can’t say it rings a bell.” the man admitted. “But good to know. Your weapon though… that looks familiar. The Bolverk, is it?”

Noel stopped in mid-step, slowly putting her foot down after a moment. The man stopped right behind her. “How do you know Bolverk?” she asked. Unlike other Nox Nyctores weapons, Bolverk didn’t hold her soul. She didn’t _have_ a soul, not like humans, but Bolverk was made especially for her failed systems. No one would know it wasn’t a proper Nox weapon, let alone it’s _name_.

The man gave a series of hums. “To be honest, I don’t know.” he admitted. “I just really saw the shape, and I thought of it.”

Noel turned, studying the man. There were plenty of tall, slender men who worked at the Cauldron Factory she was born in. But the survivors, the few she saved, she remembered. None of them were quite his shape, nor had the green hair she spied under his hat. His eyes were closed, thus denying her a chance to see the color, and she wondered how he saw the guns at all.  “You don’t look like the creator.” she said blankly. That one had died years after she saved him and he made these for her.

“Oh no. I know for sure I’m not the creator. But I’ve seen them.” the man insisted.

“How?” Noel blurted. “You weren’t at the Cauldron…” She frowned, now thinking far too hard on it. If this man was the wrong Replicant and Gestalt… did one of the survivors’ souls accidentally end up in the wrong body? She didn’t recall any of them moving to Ibukido…

“Cauldron? You know about Cauldrons?” he asked.

“Of course. I…” Noel frowned deeper and shook her head. “Enough. This certainly isn’t the time or place; we need to get to the surface.” She turned away again, leading once more. The man fell silent, almost timidly so, and Noel wondered if she spoke too harshly.

She felt bad. He probably had no idea what was going on, and if he was a botched merge, he probably had forgotten everything of _either_ life. Noel found a pathway of rubble they could climb, breaking to the surface first. Immediately information hit her sensory circuits and made her dizzy, bombarded by voices from her squad, the operators, and even Carl.

“You were made in a Cauldron, weren’t you?” the man suddenly asked her, making Noel half turn to him, one raised a bit to hold her head. “Murakumo?”

“What?” she asked, trying to tone down the communications line. “How do you know?”

The man opened one eye, the gold of it making Noel shudder. Somewhere, deep down, that eye reminded her of something. Something black, foreboding, and the locked memories screeched at her. They weren’t _her_ memories, but something familiar all the same.

_This is dangerous!_

“You’re a Murakumo? Damn, I’d never guess, but I suppose it’s not a surprise they start lacking.” The man went on. “He’d be so disappointed, but a Murakumo’s a Murakumo. He can figure out what he wants to do.”

Noel blurted another ‘what’ just as the man pointed at her. A circle of runes appeared, and she had enough sense to drop close to the ground just as something erupted from it. A black and green chain flew over her head, and Noel quickly rolled away. As soon as she was on her feet she took quick aim and fired with one of her pistols; another chain appeared, the head of it like a snake that opened its jaws and bit the bullet out of the air.

Suddenly the area around them began to darken, and Noel could _smell_ the seithr as it seemed to pour from the man’s feet. Alarms went off in her head, alarms she quickly sent to the Armaros for back up. There was a static-filled reply, but she could hear Carl’s voice come in eventually. “ _Is this the source of the seithr?!_ ”

She didn’t have time to answer, as another snake-headed chain was flying for her. Noel side-stepped quickly, spinning with the motion and firing off a line of bullets. The man braced a hand on his hat again, a barrier forming and the bullets bounced off it harmlessly. Noel rushed in for close combat then, bringing the pistol down just as the barrier faded. She heard the clash of metal, felt the resistance as the man’s knife slide over Bolverk’s shell before they both pushed off each other. As soon as Noel’s feet were stable she rushed forward again, cartwheeling over another chain headed her way, landing and pushing off the ground to begin a series of close range swings with her gun and point-blank shots.

Noel didn’t get the chance to even start before the man’s hand lashed out, grabbing her by the jaw. He lifted her enough to keep her from getting any push from the ground before he lifted his leg and slammed his foot into her stomach. He must have been well versed in ars magus, the simple kick sending her flying several feet away and into a broken slab. Noel’s body was heavier than a usual Replicant, and instead of bouncing off the impact broke through the slab and created a crater in the wall behind it. Above her she heard the city layer rumble, losing even more of it’s stability as she extracted herself from the hole with a groan. She managed to keep her hands on her pistols, but after that hit it felt like every pain sensor in her frame was going off.

The man slowly clapped, even as he strolled toward her. “You _must_ be something at least. No normal Replicant would survive that kind of impact, and I even used a bit of power on it. Durability _is_ desirable, so I suppose you will do.” he said, his tone mocking.

Noel forced herself to straighten, raising her guns even as her body protested. She began to shut down her pain system, ignoring the warning prompts appearing in her peripheral vision. Before she could try to initiate another attack, there was a bite of coldness rushing by her; eyes wide she instinctively jerked away from the massive spike of ice that flew by, the man barely side stepping it himself.

Jin ran and stopped just ahead of Noel, Makoto’s voice not far behind. “J-Jin…” Noel muttered, her body shaking, but she kept on her feet.

Jin didn’t answer her, his eyes fixed on the enemy. In his and everyone else’s earpiece, Carl’s voice could be heard, “ _He’s not the source… but he’s thick of it. What is he…?_ ”

The man adjusted his hat, looking annoyed as Makoto caught up and immediately went to support Noel. “Hm. I could take you all on easily, but that’d run the risk of losing the Murakumo…” he muttered, mostly to himself.

Jin shifted his stance, one hand held at Yukianesa’s sheath as the other hovered near its hilt. The man slowly lowered his hand from his hand, the other stuck in his pocket as the the two seemed to have a stare down. In a flash Jin drew his sword, swinging it out and sending an icicle toward the other; the man flung his hand out as a wave of black and green energy, shaped like a snake, lashed out and bit down on the icy projectile.

Jin’s eyes narrowed. “What are you?” he demanded.

“My my, how rude. Not even a ‘who.’” The man complained. “I suppose your commander is listening, yes? I hope so. I want him to hear.” There was a pause, possibly for drama’s sake. Jin’s grip on the hilt of his sword tightening, the sound seeming to echo in the space. To the side Noel leaned on Makoto, her arms folded at her stomach where she swore a print of the man’s shoe was.

He adjusted his hat before taking it off, giving a bow. He lifted his eyes, now open and a wide grin on his face. “My name is Hazama… as for what, well,” he replaced the hat. “I’m... a ‘Disciple.’”

Jin’s eye twitched, his teeth gritting harder. The word meant nothing to him, but the curse in his earpiece said it meant something to Carl. The man, Hazama, simply kept grinning and Jin felt the odd compulsion to wipe it from his face. Whatever this man was, it was something naturally repulsive, and Jin found his body going into motion before he even put the thought forward. He dashed forward, bringing Yukianesa in with a horizontal swipe. Hazama brought both hands to bear, knives spinning in his palms and perfectly timed for their edges to meet the sword’s. For a split second they were frozen, and Jin exhaled hard just as Hazama grasped the handles properly and shoved forward. Jin slid back, keeping the sword before him instead of letting it bounce aside.

Hazama came in low, cutting horizontally with one knife and slitting through the cloth at Jin’s shins. He could feel the difference from cloth and skin, cackling as he felt some bone resistance. It wasn’t the strike’s cutting but the pure force it exuded that pushed Jin’s legs out behind him, causing him to fall forward directly into Hazama’s wave of black and green energy, knocking him further back than he had kicked Noel. Before he hit any wall, Hazama flung out another chain, the jaws of it biting into Jin’s ankle and allowing Hazama to jerk the chain, flinging him the other way. This time Jin hit a wall, creating a deeper crater than Noel had, and her advanced hearing could pick apart the sound of bone crushing amongst that of stone.

Tsubaki’s voice shrieked in her ear, and just above it she could hear Carl demand all units retreat. Hazama’s hand began to glow as he started to advance on Jin, a quiet chuckle trailing after him. Makoto took the risk and let Noel go, fists up and charging toward the monster. Hazama half turned to her, ducking low just as she threw a punch that would have shattered any lesser being’s face. Hazama’s glowing hand lashed out, creating another magical wave that flipped Makoto into the air, spinning helplessly, falling in time for Hazama to roundhouse kick her in the chest and quite a distance back.

Makoto’s name left Noel in horrified scream. Jin hadn’t gotten back up, and she couldn’t see where Makoto landed amongst the debris. Hazama cackled, hand on his head as he bent over slightly, hysterical by the sad sight. Around and above Noel could hear Shades whispering, murmuring and inching closer, like parasites waiting to see if they were opportune prey to fall upon. Noel’s grip on Bolverk grew slack, the guns soon hitting the ground with a clatter.

The sound caught Hazama’s attention and he glanced over, one eye opening. “Hm? Oh, right, the Murakumo. It’s been so long since I got to have actual fun I almost forgot… now, be a good little doll and come here.”

Noel’s teeth clenched, her eyes tightly shut as she tried to keep herself in some sort of control. She could hear Carl’s voice, calling for her and everyone, calling a mass retreat, but none of it mattered. None of them were getting away at this rate. She had to do something. Anything.

She opened her eyes to see Hazama in front of her, his hand coming out to grab her. It was like watching it in slow motion, that half-gloved hand coming at her centimeter by centimeter. Her eyes widen slightly at every inch, the pupils of her eyes growing smaller and smaller. Something. She had to do something. Anything. Anything but be useless, or in the way, or a failure.

She broke her limitors, the heat of Hazama’s hand hovering over her face outdone by the heat rising from her core. Hazama stopped, both eyes open now, and stumbled back ungracefully just as a large sword shot out from behind Noel, managing to slice into his arm before he got out of the way. Another seven such swords, all shimmering almost like holograms, phased into being and spread out behind her like wings.

Noel’s eyes flashed blue before they went blank, the heat of her core growing to dangerous levels already. Four of the swords shot out for Hazama, all aimed at his chest as the rest spread out to whirl around the perimeter to keep the Shades and aliens at bay. The display sent the mindless monsters cowering, and Hazama launched a chain behind him, letting it pull him away and narrowly dodge the swords coming at him. As soon as the swords lodged into the ground, however, they pulled themselves out and were after him against like crackling lightning.

“Well shit.” Hazama muttered to himself, one arm up as his barrier activated. Upon impact from a sword it cracked. “Alright, alright! I get the hint! No need to get so _violent_.” He chuckled. “Next time then, Miss Noel!”

The sword broke through the barrier, stabbing through and impacting debris; the afterimage of Hazama still wearing the grin.

Noel’s entire body trembled, and she shakily took a step. Another, then another, each one raising the internal heat by a degree just by moving. She heard other Nox units in the far distance, maybe coming to save them, but if she let up the Shades would get them. She couldn’t.

In her earpiece she heard Carl’s voice. It sounded strange. He wasn’t speaking orders, or even telling her anything. It sounded like he were singing.

Before his verse was done, Noel’s systems shut down, and she hit the ground with a heavy thud. The dust had long since settled by the time the rest of the Power of Order came to get her, and the Ibukido mission was long since considered a failure with no civilian survivors, the Grimoire gone. With the exception of those three, the regime suffered few injuries and no casualties, but the damage was done.

Carl read over the paper report, his face set in a heavy frown. Beside him, Nine sat with her arms crossed and eyes closed, oddly quiet despite the anger radiating off her. Other Sages were quiet as well. The enemy’s numbers had more than doubled with the taking of an entire Hierarchical City, another Grimoire lost, Ibukido was now ground zero…

“A Disciple…” Nine muttered, breaking Carl’s thought. She opened her eyes slightly, glaring at him as usual. “If this means what I think it means, Clover…”

“It does.” Carl replied quietly, setting the paper back on the table. “He’s alive.”


	3. The Wretched Automatons

Jin was in critical care, but luck was with him, as the saturation of seithr did not permeate his body and start a Relapse. In fact, all three were lucky: Makoto managed to be the least injured, suffering only all of her ribs broken and a punctured lung, but those were simply fixes. Jin’s Replicant had to be created anew, but his Gestalt was still in perfect condition in the sword, leading to an easy process. Noel, however, was out of commission for an unknown length of time. With her unauthorized use of unstable Murakumo processes, her body had broken down internally, much of her skeleton turned to slag and several organic materials melted. Carl was hopeful she’d recover, but it was going to be a hard process.

Tsubaki was an emotional wreck by the time Jin’s new Replicant was fully processed and his consciousness was transplanted. Not just from his condition either--both she and Makoto were in low spirits over Noel’s situation. That wasn’t including the fact the entire mission was a failure, as that hung like a black fog over the entire military in Armaros.

It also made Nine a lot more irritable, especially as Gestalt storehouses were starting to hit worldwide. Combatants were getting deployed every hour, and despite efforts, it was all deteriorating to a war of attrition now. The large Cities were manned enough that it seemed this new “Hazama” threat was leaving them be, but the smaller factories and storehouses were free game. For every one they saved, another was falling. The piles of Grimoires in Armaros was growing as they could save them, as were the number of Gestalt files and Replicant storage.

“He’s forcing us to fill up.” Nine determined. “Eventually he will attack Armaros itself… and attempt to gain a massive amount of Shades and aliens at once.”

“I agree.” Carl nodded, much to her surprise. “He most likely will do it after faking an attack on a larger city. But we cannot leave the cities defenseless either. I’ve already begun to evacuate smaller settlements not yet targeted, but it’s going to be slow, especially as we start to get cramped not just here, but the cities as well.”

“Nox Nyctores production is slowing dramatically as well.” Kokonoe, the chief engineer and number ten, reported. “Although the seithr is getting thicker, it’s changing properties too. It’ll take a while to make a new batch of weaponized Replicants that are immune to the changes… and it won’t take long at all for our current generation’s immunity to be worth shit.”

Nine’s face darkened. “It’s not converting anymore?”

“Not cleanly. We have to go over with a fine tooth comb, so to speak, to weed any corrupting factors out.” her daughter reported. “Whoever this Hazama bastard is, he’s genuinely fucking up everything. As it stands, the quickest way for us to keep any advantage is getting more raw power.”

“What, from _Amaterasu_? Please.” Nine scoffed. “We can’t even make the one Handmaiden we have useful.”

“The Observer Amane is more apt to join the frontlines. He can only do so much, sure, but that’s more than what we got now.” Kokonoe added.

Carl frowned deeper. The Observers, mortal attendants to the Master Unit, were one of a kind aces up their sleeve. Amane had already helped on several occasions, but unlike Murakumo, as he used his divine-given powers he grew weaker. And if they deployed him too much… “And Observer Rachel certainly won’t go…” he muttered.

The situation was going to grow dire soon. This new leader was proving to be a headache, but Carl had his own personal ace. He just needed to be sure it worked perfectly.

 

* * *

 

Jin didn’t seem to respond at first when Tsubaki’s hand grasped his, but after a few moments he finally held back. The smile on her face was the first he had seen since his recreation, so he could only assume he did correctly. Tsubaki stepped closer, her other hand grasping his arm and her head resting on his shoulder.

Jin sighed. “This isn’t a good way to walk, Tsubaki.”

“It’s up to you to make sure I don’t trip.” she said matter of factly. “Besides… I think I’m due a little touchy comfort, thank you.”

No amount of unnecessary apologizing was going to make up for what happened in Ibukido. Jin was just grateful he didn’t Relapse and left it at that, but Tsubaki wasn’t having any of it. The only reason he wasn’t more annoyed was the fact she sort of did it to Makoto too, and if she was actually not pathetically bed-ridden, probably Noel too. Jin just took it in stride, ignoring the looks he got as they walked through the base. Besides… even he could admit in a way it was sort of nice. Tsubaki was warm, and they hadn’t spent much time together at all.

When they were human, Jin had a feeling they spent more time together. He vaguely recalled meeting in a garden, just the two of them, talking nonsense and making nonsensical promises. It was like their little ritual, something to look forward to outside of whatever it was they were doing besides that. Any memory outside Tsubaki was far too blurry to really focus on, and only she was really prominent in his mind when he thought back to being human.

Jin unconsciously held her hand a bit tighter. He probably truly could have been lost out there, against Hazama. He probably would be an even worse mess if it had been her out there instead… perhaps, he shouldn’t be so cold.

“Tsubaki…” he started, his voice quiet, but Tsubaki turned her head up to listen and look at him. “I won’t apologize for doing my duty… but I can at least say, thank you for worrying.”

Confusion crossed her face, followed by a tinge of pink. How pretty. “That’s not exactly… what I expected to be thanked over.” she admitted.

Jin didn’t have much of a response to that. He was already bad at this sort of thing admittedly, and having to face the fact he might have used the wrong words was not something he wanted to deal with. He kept quiet, and Tsubaki simply let it be thankfully, resting her head against his arm once more. There was a quiet comfort there, and he wasn’t too keen on ruining it with ill-placed words.

He also did not want to keep dealing with the stares of those who passed by. It was probably some sort of taboo in some way, but Jin started to subtly lead Tsubaki back to the barracks. He had check ups to be performed, but those could wait at least a little while. Tsubaki seemed to blindly follow his lead, and by the time she realized where they were going, they already stepped through the door to his room.

Tsubaki stopped just inside, glancing around. “I thought you wanted to walk.” she said timidly.

Jin didn’t look at her, glancing to the side and his free hand on his hip. “I was tired of people staring.” he admitted.

“You don’t care what other people think.”

“But I know it can bother you.”

She turned more noticeably red. “Y-you…! Don’t have to make exceptions for me…”

Jin looked back at her this time, confused now. “But you make them for me. It hardly seems fair if I don’t at least try to do the same.”

Tsubaki’s blush worsened, but she seemed to think over his words instead of immediately get flustered and protest. “Well… well, in that case…” Abruptly, she let him go, and Jin was too surprised to hold tighter and ask why.

The ‘why’ came quickly enough when Tsubaki threw her arms around his neck and hugged tight, her head neatly pillowed on his shoulder. It was Jin’s turn to make a flustered sort of noise, half of him tense and ready to attack as the other half vaguely registered how warm she was. He stood frozen, but Tsubaki was patient, just pressing close. Gradually the idea dawned on Jin, and he slowly wrapped his arms around her. The quiet but happy giggle he heard had to have meant he made the right choice.

None of his few human memories contained something like this. Nothing was so warm and strange, comforting and awkward like this. Had they never embraced? Slowly Jin found his fingers combing through Tsubaki’s hair, marveling at both the vivid color and the action he was performing. His gloves blocked most of the sensation, but he wanted to think her hair was soft. Perhaps, when the war was over and they were whole, they’d remember their Replicant days. Perhaps with both sets of memories, they could pick up from here… so, surely, it was alright to be like this.

Tsubaki certainly thought so. It felt like a long time coming, something so simple as a close hug. How long had she had to wait for such a thing? Perhaps too long. This felt like the first, really. Maybe it was. Somehow she found the better comforts embroiled in war; somehow she’d deny herself this during peaceful times. If she could stay close like this… she never wanted to change. To go back. In such a quiet moment Tsubaki found a peace she never felt before, could recall feeling. What was the point of the other half if she lost this?

She seemed to sink further into his arms and against him, both holding a little tighter, lost in their marvel of each other. Why didn’t they do such things more? For the moment Tsubaki didn’t think about the horrible turn of the war, how she nearly lost both of her best friends _and_ Jin… of the war at all. Jin didn’t remember the pain of feeling every bone in his body being crushed, or like he were rotting from the inside. Pain was a faded thing.

A series of beeps made both tense, and once she realized what it was, Tsubaki slowly lowered her arms, hands sliding over Jin’s chest but never quite leaving him. She refused to really move, keeping her head against him, and Jin didn’t exactly have the want to step away. He kept one arm around her, the other raising his hand to his ear and pressing the earpiece there. “Jin.” he answered, as professional as always. He heard Tsubaki sigh, and he combed her hair again like it’d make up for the interruption. It seemed to work, so he kept at it.

“ _This is Carl._ ” the caller intoned, and Jin’s combing paused. “ _I know you still need a few adjustments, but I need you for a special mission. Makoto will join you and I’ll find you a third. Meet in the briefing hall sixth room in about half an hour._ ”

Jin bit the inside of his cheek, but he couldn’t lie to his commander. “I have not gone in for my adjustments yet, commander. I have been… trying to relax.”

Tsubaki glanced up at him at this words, but he didn’t try to meet her gaze. Best not also let Carl know he had convinced her to slack off on her operator duties, although it wouldn’t take a genius to realize where she was if she wasn’t in the infirmary with Noel and Makoto.

“ _That’s fine. It’s an easy mission… albeit secret. This is a personal request._ ”

Jin frowned slightly. That sounded like a mess he did not want to be a part of, but considering how Carl had helped him out in the past, he couldn’t outright refuse. Not to mention Carl was calling him personally. “Understood, sir.” he answered, lowering his hand once the call was ended.

Tsubaki sighed. “Duty calls, I suppose.” She said, letting him have the relief of not having to pull away first. She was a big girl, she could handle it.

Jin let her go without a fight, although perhaps he should have been a little resistant. She didn’t seem too upset, so he let it go. “It does. You’ll want to get back to the operators’ sector.”

“I heard him say Makoto. Let me see you both off, since he’s sending the most recently injured out.” Tsubaki said with obvious irritation in her voice.

“He said he was a simple mission.” Jin offered, as if it’s ease her worries. The look he got meant it did little, but he nonetheless went ahead to get his uniform on. Tsubaki politely stepped out as he dressed, and once his sword was secured to his waist he stepped out, running his hand through his hair.

Tsubaki fell in step beside him, keeping it professional now. Jin could appreciate when she really knew when to hold back, although he could tell by the way her hands kept flexing she wanted to hold onto him. Probably try to stop him. But as she said, duty calls, and he always answered.

Jin arrived far earlier than expected, but Makoto and Carl were already within the reserved briefing room. Tsubaki gave a salute when Carl looked to her, and his smile meant she wasn’t in trouble for slacking off earlier.

“Good timing. Perhaps you can be the third.” Carl said brightly.

Tsubaki looked shocked, and Jin froze for a second before he blurted, “Absolutely not.”

“Relax, Jin. It’s more like a formal precaution than an actual worry. There’s little reason to think she’d be hurt… plus, Tsubaki is one of the few operators capable of combat naturally. You were in the military academy before you underwent Gestalization, correct?” Carl asked her.

“It’s not a matter of her being hurt--I know she can handle herself. But the RED, the risk of Relapsing!” Jin protested further.

“I… do have memories of the academy. A little.” Tsubaki admitted. She looked to Makoto, who nodded.

“We went together.” Makoto filled in. “Even Jin. I remember him a little.”

Carl cut in before Jin protested again, “There’s little risk in this mission. I need you three to take down a single Shade, and bring back the automaton it’s controlling.”

The order made Jin frown worse. “That’s… it?”

Carl nodded. “Yes. The automaton in question is called ‘Nirvana’, and it was a powerful weapon created long ago… by One. However, a Shade had stolen it before we could recover it after his disappearance. I’ve finally tracked down the location.”

“So that’s what you meant by personal,” Makoto cut in. “Your father made it… and you want it back.”

Carl cringed. “Don’t assume it’s for nostalgia or something. Nirvana is still a powerful weapon, and with the turn of the war we need all we can. Nine had dismissed it before, but now she finally agreed we need to spend _some_ resources to get her back. I also wielded her before, so better off in my hands…”

“And not in Hazama’s.” Jin finished for him.

Carl nodded once more. “Yes, especially not in his. Nirvana has very special… abilities that would be devastating if used against us. We determined the Shade is in the abandoned weapons’ factory, south of Kagutsuchi.”

Makoto’s eyes lit up. “The self-defense system there had kept pretty much all shades and aliens out, didn’t it? How did the one Shade get in?”

“Probably using this Nirvana.” Tsubaki guessed. She glanced aside a moment, then looked to Carl again. “Sir… how is Noel?”

“She’s progressing well. Don’t let that worry distract you on the field.” Carl promised. “Also, your communication devices should now allow video feed. I want to see what you all are seeing, so make sure it’s on at all times.”

Jin shrugged. “It will help when we’re facing this Shade. I assume it’ll use this Nirvana… so any advice on how to face it will be appreciated. Especially since it sounds like you want it as intact as possible.”

“Yes.” Carl replied. “Your only real obstacles are going to be Nirvana, and getting to her through the factory security. Although I imagine a few robots won’t be a problem.”

Jin shrugged, and Makoto just laughed. Tsubaki, however, seemed to be fairly serious about it. “Then if you’ll excuse me, I’ll go prepare for battle.” she requested formally, saluting before taking off to do just that.

It did not take her long to return, armed with her short sword and a large round book strapped to her forearm. Jin stared long and hard at her while Makoto distracted her, vaguely recalling that white uniform. Her sword changed shape… and her book also could. He squinted, trying to recall more, but his Gestalt mentally reprimanded him. That wasn’t important, even if somehow he felt like it was.

Jin averted his gaze when Tsubaki looked to him, and he stepped forward. “Then let’s go get over with. The sooner we have Nirvana, the better.” Jin reasoned.

Carl smiled. “Yes. Good luck to all three of you.”

On cue, all three saluted, hands over their chests. “Glory to humanity!”

 

* * *

 

The abandoned weapons’ factory served as both that and a sort of junk heap in the past. Kagutsuchi was a very large and packed city, even before the mass relocation of nearby smaller settlements, and as a way to fund and help in the war effort all scrap was used in weapon production in some fashion. If not for the newer, more advanced factory in the city proper they may have continued using this one. The teleportation bay was long since rusted and unusable, but remote teleportation was possible just outside the main door, all three phasing in to face the rusted shut entrance.

Jin stepped forward, hand on his sword’s hilt. With a quick swipe, the entire entrance was covered in a blanket of ice, and he stepped aside, giving Makoto an expectant look. She gave herself a quick stretch, hopping up and down a bit before she charged toward the door, fist lashing out. The focused hit from her tonfa and the extreme force shattered the frozen door, and as the dust-like frost settled she brushed off her hands with a grin. Tsubaki gave her an encouraging smile, about to speak when Jin simply pushed through, tapping the flashlight on his uniform on to light the way.

With Carl watching through their communication pieces he acted as their operator of sorts. “ _Most likely, you’ll find the Shade and Nirvana in the second basement,_ ” Carl reported. “ _We have no updated maps, so passageways may be worn down or caved in, but I’ll upload the last available version to your devices._ ”

It took a few moments, but a simplified map with their location blinking on it appeared on the screens covering their eyes. Jin could tell a difference between it and the actual layout immediately--the first room that was meant to be the reception area was already caved in, a mountain of metal and stone before them. Besides their footsteps, he could hear the beeping of machines in the few hallways still open, but none lead to a quick and easy passage.

Jin motioned to his teammates, indicating they keep close. He decided to take the leftmost hallway, noting it eventually lead to the central elevators. He didn’t believe they’d be operational, but they could still ride the shaft downwards. He grabbed onto the pile of debris to begin the careful climb to the open hall, eying the passageway and looking for any obvious signs of a security system: flashing lights, barely visible beams or even hums of closer machines. He saw a camera or two right at the entrance, and as he grew closer, he saw one shifted in his direction, making him free.

“Motion detection.” Jin muttered, barely moving his lips. “We will be tripping the security no matter what. Be ready.”

Makoto gave a soft hum and relayed the same back to Tsubaki, who brought up the rear. He barely heard her acknowledgment, but it was enough. Jin gave them both a few moments to be ready before he kicked off the debris and land just past the cameras--the entire place immediately flashing red and sirens going off. He started jogging down the passageway, hearing Makoto and Tsubaki land and jog after him.

They made it to the first fork before the crash of metal made Jin stop. He jumped to press himself as tightly to the wall as he could, Makoto yelping and instinctively dropping low. A rocket powered fist sped by Jin, clipping his chest and over Makoto. Jin swore his heart stopped as he followed its path right to Tsubaki, who stayed on her feet and in the middle of the hall. He choked on her name, but Tsubaki’s book detached from her bracer and flew in front of her, opening and it’s pages spreading out. For a flash they appeared like angel wings, and the metallic fist slammed into the middle of it; the book closed around it and Tsubaki side-stepped and flung her arm back, the book swinging behind her and letting the rocket fist go to harmlessly fire further back and crash into the debris behind them.

“Jin!” Tsubaki barked, and he looked back forward. The tall machine that had fired the fist was ambling toward them rapidly, and he knew now was not the time to let emotions and fears get a grip on him.

Ice formed at Jin’s ankles and he hopped on top of the flat icicle, riding it forward toward the enemy. He jumped off just as it hit the machine, the ice dispersing and reforming as a cage around it; he used his sword to stick into the ceiling and let him hang long enough for Makoto to get back to her feet and rush forward with a shoulder tackle, shattering the ice and the machine inside as well as knocking it further down the hall. A series of beeps came from the icy pieces before the core of the machine gave a small burst of energy, melting the ice and signifying the end of that particular machine’s life.

Jin landed neatly back on the ground, watching as Tsubaki brushed her enchanted little book off. “Good to know,” she said once she was done. “They explode on death.”

“So it seems…” Jin muttered, hiding his brief embarrassment at how frozen he had gotten. He had said he knew Tsubaki could take care of herself, and yet there he was, stupidly afraid for her.

Caring for others was such an hindrance.

Makoto cracked her knuckles, her large ears flicking. “There several more on the way. Varying sizes.” she reported. “At least one real big one… wait, he stopped.”

“ _There’s a large room ahead. You can circumvent down another hallway, but it may try to collapse all the hallways to entrap you._ ” Carl replied. “ _Your best bet is to take it down_.”

“Sounds easy enough. With Jin freezing and making everything brittle, it’ll be a breeze.” Makoto replied, grinning excitedly.

Jin did not share her enthusiasm, but Tsubaki did, the women chittering to each other about how this was a simple mission--which of course turned into Makoto gushing how it was their first together. Jin ignored it, pressing forward with or without them, and they didn’t take long to realize he wasn’t giving them their precious ‘girl time’ in the middle of a mission. They fell into file soon enough, this time Makoto taking up the rear.

Smaller machines, riding flying contraptions, began to flood into the hallway. Jin wasn’t much of an aerial fighter, but Makoto took to it easily. She jump-kicked off one wall, then another to get to the right height and jump onto a machine’s rider. With a grunt she ripped the machine’s head off, hurling it toward another as it beeped angrily; metal clanked and the head exploded, causing enough damage to the second to cause it’s flier to malfunction. As it spiraled toward the ground Jin was there to impale it upon his sword, flinging it aside before it too combusted. Makoto hung onto the haywire flier, trying to use her weight to guide it to the next. The other fliers began to fire artillery down upon them, Jin raising his sword and activating his defensive ars to bring his barrier up.

Makoto managed to ram one flier into the other and knock it off course and closer to the ground, but it forced her to drop. The riderless flier simply zipped further down the hall and she grabbed the one close to the ground, spinning it and herself until she had enough force and momentum to slam it into the wall, shattering it. The small explosion it caused propelled her back, dazing her temporarily. Tsubaki rushed forward, her combat uniform’s enchantment temporarily increasing her speed to run just under the bullet hail. Her book positioned in front of her, Tsubaki jumped and activated it, using it’s innate magic to rush her toward a flier with a barrier in front of her. It clipped the flier hard enough to making it do several flips in the air, hit the ceiling and crash toward the ground. Tsubaki landed, whirled around and swung her sword, the weapon transforming into a whip blade to entangle and slice up the machine. She activated her barrier just in time to block the majority of the resulting explosion, but it still forced her to skid back a few feet.

Makoto was back on her feet and jump-kicking off the walls again, this time a bit higher to kick the machines out of the air and closer to the ground for the other two to finish off. It was a tedious process, making their way through the hallway in such a manner, and by the time they reached the opening to the large room their barriers were all but depleted, and Jin had a few bullets lodged in nonfatal areas. He’d live, but every motion hurt. It seemed like Tsubaki was fine, but she didn’t put her back to him so he’d see the blotches of blood there where she’d been shot a couple of times herself.

Makoto was the worst of the three, but she was still bouncing on the balls of her feet by the time they came face to face with their new adversary, ignoring the gashes covering her body. Waiting in the room, which was the beginning of the massive construction room, was an equally massive bipedal machine. It’s tiny head scanned around, and once it located them, it pushed itself from the kneeling position it was in. It’s four arms unfolded from the main body, each one’s ‘hand’ a different weapon--a closed fist, a rotary saw, a hammer, and what appeared to be a flamethrower.

When it sparked out a few licks of flame, Jin mentally cursed. Of course there was fire.

“This might be a bit more than the three of us can handle with just Nox weapons.” Jin muttered.

“Yeeeeah… I’m not feeling it anymore…” Makoto replied, watching as the machine lifted it’s hammer hand. The three scattered as it brought it down, the foundation cracking and the entire factory shaking with the force.

A large metal beam fell down, hitting the machine and subsequently bending before it landed heavily on the ground, nearly crushing Tsubaki. Jin didn’t have to get a scan to know it was made from much higher grade material than the normal security bots, and also to know this was definitely _not_ a security bot as it was an activated weapon.

“Jin,” Tsubaki called from across the room, darting to another corner as the massive fist came down. The floor cracked further, and more of the floor above crumbled down. “It’s going to bring down the entire factory!”

_No shit!_ Jin cursed. He eyed the deep fissures in the ground, then the other entrances. It was a gamble, but it was one he was going to have to take. “Head for the hallways--any of them!” he yelled.

“What!” Makoto blurted, but she ran that way when the saw came toward her. It burst through the wall, bringing that entire area down and Jin could hear and feel a good portion of the upper factory crash down into what was supposed to be the furnace room.

Tsubaki ran for the nearest hallway exit to her, and when both were gone Jin expanded an exhausting amount of energy from his sword to ice as much of the ground as possible. He ran for cover when the machine brought it’s flamethrower arm to bear, riding an icicle away and still nearly catching on fire when a large blast of fire emitted from it. His ice fizzled, but it had sunk down into the cracks and done it’s damage.

Jin leaped to cover the rest of the ground just as the machine took a step forward to go after one of them, the ground giving way immediately. The machine sank down, it’s entire leg disappearing through the hole it created. Foundation crumbled all around it and Jin grabbed onto the door handle as the machine began to thrash, trying to climb out before it continued to fall further into the basements below. He heard Tsubaki and Makoto shrieking, but neither sounded like they were falling, and he could only pray they held onto something as the massive machine’s thrashing brought down more of the floor above them and only pushed it further down until it was soon buried underneath several floors’ worth of flooring and ceiling.

Jin hung onto the door he had a hold of for dear life, not even twitching until the vibrations stopped and the final pebbles fell into place. He finally took a breath, then coughed out the dust before slowly pulling himself to his feet, having to rip some of his long sleeves as they had been caught by the falling debris. If he were any closer, he’d probably have lost his legs again.

“Tsubaki!” he called. “Makoto!”

He wasn’t sure his voice would permeate the pile of rubble, but he could hear muffled replies, and the map on his eyepiece showed them still on this floor. He gave a rare, audible sigh of relief.

“ _Well._ ” came Carl’s voice, making him jump. “ _We’re lucky that’s the first basement. Your paths will intersect at the elevators… hopefully the halls are clear enough._ ”

Jin gritted his teeth. “There’s still the security system…”

“ _Indeed. All three of you be careful. We’ll try to hack from here, but don’t depend on it. We’ve limited operators available, with the global operations going on._ ”

He gave a hard breath, but forced himself to straighten. They would just have to survive their paths and meet back up. He knew both could take care of themselves, but still.

_Be careful, Tsubaki._


	4. A Beautiful Song

For the moment, the machines did not come pouring out after the demise of their weaponized back up. Jin spent that moment knelt on the ground, grunting as he used a pair of ice needle extractors to dig into his wounds and jerk out the bullets. His enhanced Replicant body would slowly stop the bleeding and begin the healing process, so long as he had the moments to spare. Each bullet hit the ground with a quiet, accusing clink one at a time, forcing him to mentally count the times he had failed to dodge or use his barrier properly.  
  
Fourteen clinks later he stood, dropping the ice tool to melt on its own. According to the map and Carl’s confirmation, he was the closest to the central elevator, meaning it was up to him to secure and keep the area clear. Jin steeled himself and began to advance, stepping slow not just because of his wounds but in case of awaiting ambush. For a security system, he could admit it seemed quite clever. Perhaps this escaped Shade was watching them, manipulating the leftover machines and weapons…  
  
Oddly, that put more speed into his step. He felt that irrational drive, the stupid growing apprehension for the girls. Specifically, for Tsubaki. What a hindrance.  
  
He heard the heavy clanking of footsteps, followed by a series of beeps in what he could only assume was communication for the machines. Jin set his hand on his sword’s hilt, forcing his breathing to slow. Before long, human-sized bipedal machines could be seen rushing down the hall toward him--six total, all wielding different weapons. Close combat he could handle, but the gun wielder he saw was going to be a problem.  
  
The five melee oriented machines all converged on him, the ranged smartly keeping back to rain hell upon him. Jin knew if it stayed up he’d probably suffer too much damage to allow him to help with Nirvana, and so he bent himself down low and charged through. He dropped further just before the sword-toting machine swung, the edge of it shaving off a bit of his hair as he iced the floor and slid over it past the machine. The axe came down just as he pushed himself up with the end of his sword, cutting a ribbon off his already frayed sleeves. He kept running, spinning aside to avoid the hammer; he brought his sword up, still in its sheath, creating a barrier of ice to take the impact of the fist flying for his head. The ice cracked and he allowed it to shatter and scatter, pelting into the offending machine and at least one shard taking out an optical lens. As the fist-fighting machine reeled back, beeping rapidly, Jin neatly flipped sideways to avoid the spear aimed at his chest and took the chance to slash back, the edge of Yukianesa sliding through metal effortlessly as he ran by.  
  
The spear-wielder’s upper half dropped to the ground, beeping quickly before it combusted. It slowed the other four long enough for him to get closer to the gunner. Just as he stopped to end it similarly to its friend, the machine finally released the charge it was holding--instead of a bullet, a trio of thin red lasers fired from the projectile in a triangle. Jin’s eyes widened, his enhanced reflexes kicking in to avoid his face eating all of it. His cheekbone seared, skin sizzling and soon steaming down in a hot, liquefied stream as another part of the laser cut a clean half circle off the top of his shoulder.  
  
The pain slowed him enough for the gunner to leap back, but the distance was enough. Jin snapped out of his pained daze and pulled Yukianesa from its sheath and stabbed into the ground; a millisecond later a jagged formation of ice erupted from under the gunner’s feet and entombed it. He heard the footsteps of the others coming at him and the loud rush of air of something heavy aimed for him; Jin vaulted himself into a forward roll and took temporary refuge behind the frozen machine. There was no camaraderie amongst machines apparently, as the axe-wielder tossed its weapon toward Jin with little care for its frozen friend. The axe slammed through the ice and cut through the machine, coming out the other side of it and the ice. The resistance had slowed the weapon though, giving Jin a chance to get out of the way of it and the resulting explosion. His own ice shards jagged stabbed into him, only a few breaking through uniform and skin, but it was all just more evidence he might not have thought this move through. His barrier was just about gone, and if he fully depleted it, he’d have absolutely nothing for the fight ahead.  
  
Of course, he had to _make it_ to the fight ahead.  
  
He heard Yukianesa mutter to him--he had expended a lot of energy already, using as much ice as he did. If he did much more, he’d have to spend some time recharging; time he wasn’t sure he’d get. But with the way the remaining four were starting to get ready to charge in, he might have to take the chance.  
  
The sword wielder came at him first; Jin waited until its swing was halfway through its motion before he tapped into Yukianesa’s power. His body seemed to frost over as the sword cut through, and a hazy figure phased through both the blade and the machine. As soon as it materialized back into Jin, the machine literally froze with a thin coating of rime over it. Jin continued into his motion, drawing his sword this time as he ducked under the hammer and spun the sword in his hand to jam it into the back of the wielder. He kicked it off his blade and knocked it into the sword-toting machine, letting it crack the frozen one enough to activate its death explosion.  
  
With the last two, one stupidly disarmed by its own actions, Jin was able to slow the flow of energy between himself and the Gestalt. He had a little more reach than they did, and when the fist fighter rushed at him he let it use its own momentum to run into his sword. He charged forward, the sword sliding further into the machine until it came to a stop at the hilt and became a flailing barrier as he rushed toward the last one. He skewered through it and pushed them several feet back, holding tightly onto the sword and activating what was left of his barrier.  
  
Jin shut his eyes tight as the two beeped, and felt himself fly when they exploded. The only consultation to that was his sword was still in his hand before he slammed into the wall, then hit the ground with a thud, going still.

 

* * *

  
  
Metal bodies scattered to pieces or were tossed aside uncaringly as Tsubaki rushed through, her book and sword formed into a pointed barrier to rip her a path that left scrap and feathers in her wake. Whatever machines weren’t destroyed in the rush attack were too disabled to really chase, but Tsubaki still stopped to finish them off with a ranged attack.  
  
She heard the whizzing of fliers when she stopped in a smaller lobby-sized room. They descended from holes above her, and she bit her inner cheek as the loss of motion brought back the pain of fractured ribs. Still, she had to keep moving--she could not hold the team down. Jin would never trust her again if she couldn’t carry her weight.  
  
Unlike the Nox, who had special skills and abilities locked within their Gestalt-filled weapons, Tsubaki had only her enchanted uniform and heirloom sword and book to get by with. It let her fight these sort of things well enough, but if she were to go against aliens or Shades, her risk of Relapse was far greater. If she couldn’t handle things like _machines…_ Jin may think she was truly useless besides being behind a monitor.  
  
She had to prove she was better. She was capable. She could fight with him and protect him. And never let what happened in Ibukido to happen to him again.  
  
Her trail of thought distracted her, and a bullet slammed through her uniform and into her shoulder. Tsubaki stumbled back, fighting the urge to grab at her shoulder. Instead she gave a heavy breath and opened her book, tapping into its power: in an arch above her head spawned several short golden swords, and with a wave of her hands she sent them flying at each enemy. She didn’t bother to wait and see if they hit properly; Tsubaki continued to run forward. A series of small explosions went off behind her, hopefully dealing with any stragglers.  
  
She held her book-shield in front of her as she saw more movement ahead. Back in a hallway, there wasn’t much room to maneuver, but she didn’t really need to. As soon as she was close enough to the nearest machine her book shifted and opened, the spine’s eye decoration opening and jutting out a large crystalline spike. The machine was speared on it, and while it was held there it held back the others, giving Tsubaki enough time to reconfigure her short sword to match the energy wavelength of her book, temporarily merging them and reconfiguring that into a large bow seemingly made of light. She didn’t have much time to charge it before the machine was going to explode, so she fired the ‘arrow’ quickly, sending the broken machine back into its friends and knocking them all several feet away as a flurry of light beams rained from her bow. As the beams cascaded and pierced over the machines they began to explode, the bow reforming back into the sword and book.  
  
The sword dropped to the ground with a clatter, Tsubaki dropping to her knees shortly after with her hand over her eyes. She heard the sound of scrap hitting the ground, the last hiss of heat leaving the metal, but for the moment she saw absolutely nothing.  
  
_Not now… I have to keep going. Jin..._

 

* * *

  
  
Makoto gave a short scream as she threw her next punch, her ars activating to temporarily form a giant, magical fist to copy her motion to literally crush the machines behind the one she just punched the head off of. She backflipped neatly, landing crookedly before she just dropped to the ground, giving a groan that was lost among the chorus of explosions.  
  
Everything hurt. She was sure she had broken bones, and several areas were still bleeding. She could hear fighting elsewhere, the building shaking at times, and yet nothing made her really too motivated to get up and get moving again. It wasn’t really pain or exhaustion; her mind kept going elsewhere.  
  
Carl said not to worry, but Makoto couldn’t help it. The last place she wanted to be was here on a _personal request_ mission when she had a very personal reason to stay at the Armaros. A part of her resented her commander for his selfishness. If he wanted a damn thing he could get it himself, surely!  
  
Makoto tiredly pushed the thought away as she forced herself up. It was selfish of her to think that way. Carl could only do so much in his position and relied on her, his soldiers, to help him. Briefly she pictured Noel, whole and happy, and had to remind herself that Noel was around thanks to Carl.  
  
Makoto did a quick stretch, huffing a few breaths before she began to jog onward. She had to fight for every inch, but she finally made it to the elevators. Oddly, even if she was the furthest away, she seemed to have made it first. She did a quick look down the other hallways, seeing a flash of light from a fork further down. Since there was nothing there she took off in that direction, hoping to find a companion safe and sound.  
  
When she made it to the intersection, she saw joints and plates scorched and scattered. Before all the metallic carnage she saw Tsubaki on the ground, head cradled in her hands.  
  
“Tsubaki!” Makoto gasped, hurrying to her. She knelt beside her friend, hands on her shoulders. She felt hot blood on her palm. “Tsubaki, hey, can you hear me?”

Tsubaki nodded, although Makoto still wasn’t willing to let her go or quit asking until the redhead looked at her, lowering her hands. “Yes,” Tsubaki finally vocalized. “I’m sorry, Makoto. I just hurt all over… not that you look much better.”

Makoto nodded. “Yeah, I’d say we’re all beaten up. Before you ask, though, no—I haven’t seen Jin yet.”

Tsubaki’s brow immediately furrowed in worry. “We should… head to the elevators. See if he’s there.”

Makoto didn’t like the way her hand came back from Tsubaki’s shoulder covered in blood, but there was little they could do right now. She did, however, help the other girl to her feet and loop her arm around her shoulders to give support. Tsubaki protested as first, but acquiesced eventually, the two walking carefully back toward the meeting point. The place was still empty, and Makoto set Tsubaki down on a bench.

“Our bodies will heal if we take a moment…” Makoto started, holding her hand up when Tsubaki looked ready to protest. “I’ll go check the other hallways. _You_ rest a minute.”

“I’m _fine_.”

“Bullshit, Tsubaki. We need to all be as good as possible.” Makoto replied firmly. She head off toward the other hallways, Tsubaki leaning back with a heavy breath.

Makoto didn’t have to go far, thankfully—a quick glance down a hall and she found Jin making his way over, using a machine leg as a walking stick. He looked more like shit than the other two, but Makoto was glad enough he was alive, rushing to his side to assess him as well as help him the rest of the way.

Tsubaki looked ready to weep when she saw Jin, and Jin himself was far more visibly relaxed once he was sitting next to her. Makoto watched them carefully, but said little, instead digging through her inventory to find something to help them patch up. Tsubaki fussed over Jin’s half-melted cheek and he kept having to push her hand aside, looking rather grateful for once when Makoto passed him a flesh-pad. Only then did he allow Tsubaki to touch the wound, just to apply the bandage and let it meld and mend the skin layers.

Bandages were passed around, and some creative operation had to happen as they plucked out bullets close enough to the surface of their bodies. The place seemed oddly clear, and Jin found his apprehension rising with each passing, peaceful moment.

Carl’s voice made them all jump. “ _So we managed to shut down most of the security, although that doesn’t include the actual weapons. Keep your guard up. As soon as you complete your mission, get outside so we can get you proper care._ ”

“You say that like we’re mortally wounded.” Makoto muttered.

“ _Your vitals are telling enough.”_

Makoto grumbled, but Jin simply set himself to rest the moment while they had it now that he knew what was going on. “Sit down Makoto,” he said as she started to pace. “Let your barrier recharge and your body heal a bit.”

“I’m just so ready to be done.” She countered, but did find a place to sit. “I want to go home, back to Noel.”

Tsubaki glanced to the ground. “I do too, Makoto… but the war isn’t going to stop and wait. If we can get the Commander a powerful weapon… and keep it from the enemy, we should.”

Makoto just huffed, leaning back heavily against the wall. The group fell to silence, nothing really to say as they let themselves have this breather. Jin gave them fifteen minutes before he stood, hand on his sword and motioning to his teammates. Wordlessly they stood, Tsubaki replacing her hat as Makoto did a quick stretch.

Surprisingly the elevators worked, something Jin assumed was due to Carl’s intelligence team’s hacking. He had them heading for the basement soon enough, tense and ready should the elevator snare or something were to happen. It moved slowly, creaking and scraping off rust from disuse, and he could tell Tsubaki and Makoto were just as tense.

Tsubaki’s hand grasped Jin’s arm briefly. He didn’t remove it, not until the door opened; Jin hedged out first and led the way, the short hall opening to a wider room that was mostly dominated by a massive hole. There was nowhere else to go.

“ _There should be an one-way elevator leading to the surface under there._ ” Carl’s voice came in, slightly static-filled. “ _We’ll work on making sure it works. Are you ready?_ ”

Jin nodded slightly, even if Carl couldn’t see. “Let’s go.” He said, mostly to the girls.

They drew closer to the edge, and Tsubaki spread her book out once more. Wings sprouted, and as a unit all three jumped onto it—the weight prevented proper flight, but it made their descent slower and they all three landed unharmed. Jin caught movement from the corner of his eye and quickly turned, sword drawn.

There, not too far from them stood a massively tall machine. It had a decidedly feminine figure, disproportionate as it was, with its arms exceedingly long and ending in equally immense claws. It was bent over, as if it’s arms were too heavy for its slighter top frame, but cradled in its arms was a small Shade. The black and yellow creature, wispy and just as disjointed as the doll, turned its bright eyes onto the group and gave a frightened, inhuman shriek. Jin felt a bit of blood leave his ear.

The shriek caused the doll—Nirvana, he assumed—to stand to its full height. The Shade garbled in it’s strange language, and Nirvana assumed what he perceived as a battle stance. Nirvana’s arms lifted, almost flopping about as it did some sort of motion, and Jin felt the pull of energy before it formed into a massive ball that was soon speeding their way.

Jin swung his sword, sending an icicle to intercept the energy ball—both shattered upon impact and Nirvana cut through the dust and particles, the claws of one hand spinning. They slammed into Jin’s barrier and he slid back several feet, his heels losing contact with the ground. He didn’t notice then they were on a massive platform, and as he teetered precariously Makoto rushed toward him to grab his hand and jerk him back on solid ground. Tsubaki tangled with the doll in the meantime, flinging out a hand and forcing her book to open, a feathered wing sprouting out to slap Nirvana’s chest and create an opening for Tsubaki to drive her sword. Her sword’s tip gouged a couple centimeters into Nirvana’s torso, but went no further. Shock crossed Tsubaki’s face; her sword had no problems cutting through metal before.

Her reward for getting so close was a full punch to her face, sending Tsubaki flying. Jin called up an ice wall for her to impact and bounce off of, keeping her on the platform at least. Makoto launched herself at the doll, her fist meeting Nirvana’s, and her tonfa crumpled like paper. She heard crunching in her ears, and it was certainly not from Nirvana. The doll brought up its other long arm, arching it to slam onto Makoto’s head, and the beastkin was smart enough to raise her other arm to block it. Nirvana’s arm armor wasn’t made of the same material as its claws, as Makoto’s block didn’t result in any broken bones. Makoto attempted to grab the arm and Nirvana responded by flinging it around, tossing her aside.

Jin stabbed his sword into the ground while Nirvana was preoccupied, the burst of ice erupting around its feet and encasing it. The Shade shrieked again, then gave a long howl. The ice began to shake, then shattered, Nirvana’s head tossed back as a long, melancholy note left it. The arena began to shift, an otherworldly glow forming and runes beginning to appear.

Carl’s voice, half-broken from static, was perfectly clear in its panic. “ _… Song! Stop it! Kill… Shade!!_ ”

Tsubaki understood the order quickly, running past Nirvana and narrowly missing its fist coming down. However whatever it was doing, Nirvana was suddenly faster, the second arm sweeping out low and knocking Tsubaki’s feet from under her. The entire arena was then glowing, walls formed of magic and runes, and at first Jin swore he heard bells.

The bells rang out ominously before a feminine voice began to echo, the language indecipherable. Noise accompanied the bells and voice, soon finding proper body and place to form a fast-paced melody. Nirvana tossed its head back again, and Jin realized the voice was coming from the doll.

Nirvana suddenly vanished, reappearing swiftly behind Makoto and knocking her forward. Again the doll vanished, teleporting in line where Makoto was flying and punching her across the arena. Makoto slammed into the rune-covered wall, falling on her face as smoke wafted off from where the wall burned her entire back.

Jin had no time to check her. He rushed for Nirvana, hoping to tangle with it long enough for Tsubaki to get to the Shade. His sword’s edge met Nirvana’s claws, the two locked still. The Song’s words, chaotic as they were, rang in his ears and threatened to tear his mind apart. Thoughts were starting to jumble and focus was being lost, a variety of sensations he had no business feeling then were bubbling to the surface as if in response. For a heartbeat Jin felt the urge to sob.

He managed to keep his sword in place as Nirvana broke free from the standstill, beginning to pummel him with lightning fast hits. He activated his barrier and reinforced it with ice, but each hit depleted it severely and his ice was breaking already. What he managed to recharge was gone within four hits, and Jin gaped as Nirvana pressed its hand against his stomach, effortlessly lifting him before throwing him aside.

Makoto took the chance while she could, launching into the air and bringing her massive magical fist down on Nirvana’s head. The doll didn’t get crushed but did hit the ground, bouncing off it enough that once Makoto landed she could spin kick the doll further from the Shade. Tsubaki was back of her feet and heading for the Shade, who was attempting to flee and shriek for the doll.

Tsubaki activated her weapon, rushing the Shade. The book slammed into the back of it, shoving the Shade forward and into a glyph of her own making, locking the Shade to it. Her sword transformed into a staff, and using her book to keep her aim steady she brought it down, firing off a series of magical bullets toward the glyph. Each one found a new home in the Shade’s body, shattering its prison and sending it flying again. Blood spurted from every wound, creating an uncomfortable puddle once the Shade landed.

It squirmed. It screamed. Tsubaki swore, through the noise and music, it was crying. As she approached it, she swore it was asking her why. It tried to scramble away, making it’s odd noises that made Tsubaki’s heart clench.

This was someone’s soul. Everyone knew the Shades were corrupted Gestalts, souls that lost access to their bodies in some way. It was a child’s soul and she was about to kill it.

“ _Destroy it!_ ”

Tsubaki swung her sword, making it become a whip-blade. The shrieking, the sobbing, the garbled gibberish came to an abrupt end as the whip wrapped around the Shade’s neck and she pulled. Blood gushed, and Tsubaki gave a small scream when the decapitated head rolled and tapped her foot accusingly.

Nirvana gave an unholy howl, the arena’s magical properties shattering. The Song echoed, but was rapidly fading save for the chime of bells and the voice. Jin ran for it before it could start properly singing again, the tip of his sword ramming into Nirvana’s left eye. A crack ran down its cheek but the sword tip didn’t go further than Tsubaki’s did, yet it seemed to daze the doll long enough for Makoto to approach and punch the back of its head, knocking it back into the ground, a crack forming in the arena floor. The Song completely faded, and oddly, Nirvana went still.

Tsubaki rushed back to the others, weapon ready, but even as all three circled and stared, the doll did not get back up. Perhaps the lack of instruction from the Shade rendered it moot? Jin cautiously stabbed at it with his sword, but it still did not move.

“Mission accomplished, I guess.” Makoto muttered. She carefully bent down, grabbing Nirvana by one of its arms at the thinner part with her good hand. She heaved, but the machine was heavier than anticipated, especially given she only had one hand.

Jin and Tsubaki did what they could, grabbing the machine wherever they could reasonably grasp and still were dragging in to the nearest elevator. It seemed to run, so Carl was doing his part. They loaded in as well as they could, and as they rode to the surface, all three gave collective sighs of exhaustion.

 

* * *

 

Makoto wasn’t interested in any debriefing. As soon as she gave her report and the doll delivered to R&D she was gone to the infirmary for treatment and to check Noel. The other two sought treatment as well, and Makoto specifically made sure she was near Noel, who had far less wires in her at least. Although it was obvious Carl wanted nothing more than to go work on his new weapon, Makoto could appreciate he strolled into the infirmary not long after they checked in. She heard him talk to Tsubaki and Jin, thanking them before coming to see her.

Makoto was hooked up to a variety of things to heal her body and ensure her Gestalt was still in good shape, so she couldn’t properly salute when he appeared. Carl didn’t seem to care, and he greeted her with an appreciative smile.

“I really, truly appreciate your hard work, Makoto,” Carl said. “The three of you are off active for a while to recover from this. I admit… it was my fault you three were hurt so badly. I underestimated the security there. I am sorry.”

She could at least shake her head. “It’s alright, Commander. I’m glad we got Nirvana though. I don’t know what the hell it did… but it did a thing and was about to rock our world. Literally.”

Carl’s face darkened briefly, but he managed to cover it up soon. “I can explain… but later. For now, it looks like you’re about done.”

Makoto glanced at the sleeve around her arm. “Yeah, think the bones are fixed. Doesn’t hurt as much.”

“Then… if you’d like, will you join me in waking up Noel?”

Her eyes lit up. “You think she’s okay to?!”

Carl nodded. “Yes. All system-check came back green for three hours straight. I’m confident in her recovery.”

Makoto about ripped the repair sleeve off, but managed to just wrangle her arm out of it. Carl took it as a sign of approval, chuckling a bit as he lead the way to Noel’s room. He went to the monitors, and Makoto to the blonde’s side. He began to type on the console, flipping switches and doing whatever he had to do, Makoto wasn’t sure. She leaned over the bed a bit, reaching to gently take Noel’s hand in hers. The wires connected at Noel’s hair pieces detached, and Makoto could hear Noel take a heavier breath than she was before.

Her eyes opening was slow, but Makoto was patient enough. Noel blinked several times, trying to focus, and slowly she looked over toward the other girl. Confusion fell over her and she blinked again. When Makoto was still there, Noel smiled.

Makoto smiled as well, sniffling as she felt tears threaten to fall and make a fool of her. “Good morning, Noel.” She muttered.

Noel gripped her hand back. “Good morning, Makoto…” she whispered in reply. “I’m… so glad to see you okay…”

“Same, same…” Makoto felt the edges of a chair hit the back of her thighs, and she gave Carl a quick ‘thank you’ before she sat down, both hands now holding Noel’s. “You feeling okay?”

“Tired…”

“Well, I’m not rushing you.” Makoto replied, not really noticing as Carl slipped away. “Take your time… I can tell you what’s been happening?”

Noel nodded. “Yeah… I think I need an update.”

“Well, it’s been quite a few days…”

 

* * *

 

 

Carl waited until everyone was healed and walking, despite Nine’s protest. He worked a bit on Nirvana, repairing the systems and reorganizing the recognition configuration, but once the four were reportedly in better health he decided then was the best time. Especially as the attacks on Gestalt storehouses continued.

He gathered them all in central command, as well as the few Sages left on the Council. Including himself and Nine, there were only five Sages left. Things had been too hectic to try and find Sages to match their strict requirements. He could only imagine how long it’d take to dwindle the numbers further.

“I brought you four here because you all are witnesses.” Carl began. “You were all there when this ‘Hazama’ appeared and made his claim… and three of you witnessed a Song in action.”

Nine frowned. “You might want to start at the beginning, Clover. All of this sounds like it has history.”

“History I’m sure you know.” Carl replied, but he nodded. “Very well. I’ll make it brief. Long before any of us were born, before even the rampart seithr and the Red Eye Disease, a phenomenon happened. Overnight, a massive city appeared, and with it, magic and creatures not native to our world.”

Already Jin made a face, but Carl ignored it. “This city became the basis of what we know more modernly as Ishana. But back then, it was just called the Cathedral City. During those times, tyrants ruled the world and broke up the lands amongst themselves—these tyrants were eventually overcome by a group of five girls. These girls were called Intoners, and wielded extraordinarily powerful magic. The most powerful that they had was evoked via Song. By singing, they drew power from places unknown and could summon daemons and angels, as well as perform miracles.”

Carl tapped on his monitor, bringing up several images on the table’s holographic display. Six portraits were brought up, all women of varying looks. “However, there was a sixth Intoner, and five years after her sisters liberated the world, she decided she was going to kill them all.”

Noel frowned. “But… why?”

“The power of the Intoners came from a more sinister origin.” Carl explained. He pointed to the portrait of a woman with light blond hair and a pink eye, the other covered by a light pink flower. “That flower was a tool used by the Old God. It granted the Intoners their magic, but when they used their Songs, the humans they swore to take care of fell under their sway. It drove them crazy if the Intoner was gone for too long… and the Intoner themselves eventually would lose their minds to their own power. In essence, the world was a ticking time bomb, and the Old God was waiting for it to explode.”

Carl tapped on the console again. “So the oldest, named Zero, went around and killed all of her sisters. Five,” he highlighted a busty blonde’s portrait. “Four,” a young, brown haired girl who looked far too young to be older than the blonde. “Three,” A purple-haired and eyed girl who stared ahead with an almost dead look on her face. “Two,” This one a smiling, happy-appearing bluehead who was holding hands with someone not included in the picture.

Carl highlighted the last—an incredibly young girl with light blond hair and red eyes. “And One.”

Nine frowned. “One, huh…”

“I’m sure you see where this is going.” Carl continued. “One was the second oldest, and had the most willpower and intelligence. She too figured out the truth of the Intoners, but loved her sisters too much to murder them like Zero. But Zero killed them all, and when she came for One, One knew they were equal in power. But she had a backup plan… so if Zero killed her, One made sure Zero, too, would die.”

A seventh picture came up, but this one looked identical to One, save the hair was straighter. “She created an artificial ‘brother.’ This brother killed Zero, but even if he wasn’t a ‘real’ Intoner, the flower infected him, and unlike the real Intoners, he was able to procreate. I’m sure there are several people who, if you dig and dig, might be able to trace their lineage back to him eventually. But there are only two people alive who have a straight, clean lineage to One.”

Jin’s frown worsened. “One… our Sage One…”

Carl nodded. “Yes. And that means, I too, am of Intoner lineage.”

“Okay, wait.” Makoto cut in. “So basically this all just means… you can do this Song thing? How come the doll could too?”

Carl’s face darkened again, and all of the Intoner portraits faded. A new picture, far more modern, came to the screen of a beautiful young girl with long blond hair and soft blue eyes. “Ada Clover… my sister. During the early stages of the Gestalt Project, our father included her in an experiment. He used both her Gestalt and her Replicant to create Nirvana. As his daughter, and as a female, Ada has much stronger Intoner inclinations. I don’t know the exact reasons… I was so young back then… but father made her into Nirvana, a weapon. She was at some point specifically configured to be a battle partner for me… but somewhere in his disappearance and my Gestaltization, she was lost, and some errors happened.”

Tsubaki’s eyes widened. “He… experimented on his own child?! And made her into a _machine_?! That’s… that’s monstrous!” It was a hard pill to swallow. Ever since her activation, Tsubaki thought of Sage One as a hero, who tried to save their world with the Gestalt Project. But that he’d do this…

Carl shook his head. “Trust me… even after all these hundreds of years, I haven’t forgiven him. Whenever he shows his face… I _will_ end him.”

“Show his face? But isn’t One gone?” Noel asked.

Nine crossed her arms. “So we thought. But I remember this history lesson from Ishana… Intoners had bodyguards, special individuals they blessed to help with summons and to protect them. They were called Disciples.”

“And Hazama said he was a Disciple…” Jin muttered.

“Yes. And of the two living Intoners, I don’t have a Disciple.” Carl said. “And if I did, the closest would be Ada.”

“So… Relius Clover is alive, and possibly crazy?” Makoto asked. “He has a Disciple going around and causing Relapse and RED outbreaks… the exact opposite of what he was trying to do before he disappeared!”

“I don’t know his reasoning, and frankly, don’t care.” Carl responded curtly. “But now we know he’s alive, and capable of turning this war out of our favor. We need to find Hazama, and if we don’t outright kill him, make him lead us to father—to Relius.”

Nine scowled. “What a mess. And our dear Goddess is just letting this happen.” She added with acid in her tone.

Another Sage glanced to Nine. “There’s not much else we can do.” He said. “For now we’ll continue to respond to the outbreaks and seek out this Disciple. I’m assuming if we can get through his defenses, this Hazama _is_ killable, yes?”

“Yes. Disciples even back then were relatively easy to kill once their defenses were down.” Carl said. “After I fix Nirvana, I will join the front lines.”

“Commander!” Tsubaki and Noel protested at once.

“No. If they are going to be potentially using this power… I can’t hide behind the walls. I will use it as well. However… I’m not exactly in possession of _great_ power.” Carl admitted. “I’ve yet to fully mature it… plus I am male. Even with Ada, I don’t want to risk corruption and going crazy. So don’t think I’m some god-like savior either.”

Jin didn’t like it. Something wasn’t adding up… a lot of something. There were too many open details in Carl’s little history lesson, too many what-ifs easily spawned. It gave them a reason to properly fear Hazama’s inclusion in this war, and some hope with Carl’s. But there was something else… a little white lie, a few, he felt.

Jin eyed Carl carefully, even as he continued to answer questions. He trusted his commander, but after all this, he was going to have to keep a close eye on him.


	5. Rebellion II

Carl gave Jin and his squad time to recover, but there was only so much time _to_ give. Tsubaki returned to her operator duties even during her ‘recovery’ time, leaving Jin several hours a day with nothing to do but rot in his room or train, be it solo or with his squad. Makoto and Noel joined here and there, but he decided to not bother pushing it if they didn’t show up. He wasn’t so dense or heartless to ruin their little get-togethers, especially since they did not heckle him the few times he ditched training to see Tsubaki.

But those simpler days were numbered. Especially for the Nox Nyctores of the Power of Order, whom were deployed daily, almost hourly, to respond to outbreaks and threats. Two weeks were all they were given to ensure all damage was repaired and full functionality of their Replicants was restored before Carl had depressing news to give: they were to return to the frontlines. Tsubaki was not, of course, which only drove her to become almost overbearing once more toward Jin, which may or may not have resulted in arguments and periods of cold shoulders.

Usually it was Tsubaki who gave in first, but when Jin witnessed the Relapse of a fellow Order member, seeing the way their body was covered in the Scrawl before their Replicant began to decompose into an alien form and he personally had to help with the disposal of the newly created Shade, _he_ began to break the silences more. After that, he understood Tsubaki’s worry although he still did not enjoy her over-worrying and stressing.

Gestalt storehouses were being systematically relocated, as quickly as technology and safety allowed, but it seemed Hazama had a way of getting a step ahead. While he did not personally lead every assault, Carl was under the impression each attack was too coordinated to be a random occurrence. As they came to counteract the new strength and numbers of the aliens and Shades, the less losses the collective human forces suffered, but there were still losses. And for every loss the enemy gained. Defense became the main objective, and even Carl was beginning to dispatch to defend the storehouses. Nine soon followed, but the rest of the Sages were not so keen to risk their souls or bodies, a fact Nine had to reprimand them over daily.

The call to arms was no longer a surprise, but the newest location to be attacked came as a devastating blow to the Power of Order: the eleventh Hierarchical City of Shinatsu. It had been a long time since Ibukido it seemed, and many had foolishly believed Hazama would not move against a proper city again, but Shinatsu’s weaker slums made it a prime target once the military attempted to spread out to surrounding rural areas to save the few Replicants and Gestalts there. Shinatsu had yet to have their Gestalts relocated and their Grimoire, _Mai=Natsume_ , was still on the premises.

It was also where Makoto was originally from, all of her family’s Gestalts stored there. When the warning had rung out and dispatch orders sent, Makoto did not take the news well. Carl had wondered if sending her out as a good idea at all, but surprisingly it was Nine who gave her the pass when she begged to be sent.

“It’ll save her from insubordination later.” Was all Nine had said.

As she was part of his squad, Jin was chosen to also be dispatched with the rest. Tsubaki naturally took to being their operator, and as soon as the chosen squads landed, Jin knew exactly where to send Makoto.

“Join the other squad in securing and relocating the Gestalts and Grimoire,” Jin ordered, much to Makoto’s surprise. “The rest of you and fourth squad, cut down any and all aliens and Shades. We are the defense line—you let nothing through!”

A ringing chorus of “ _Glory to humanity!_ ” rang out before the squads split accordingly, Makoto not at all arguing. Noel watched her go, heart with her and worry plain of her face, but she knew it was the best choice. Makoto could not concentrate on battle properly if she were on the defense line.

Noel hurried to keep up with the rest as they left the landing zone to engage the enemy. For the most part, the slums were lost, the walls down and foundation barely standing. The middle and upper reaches, however, were able to keep firm for now. With luck they may yet save the city, although Noel did not think it proper to populate with civilians if it were breached so easily.

When she heard the guttural shrieks of the Shades, the thought left her mind. She saw Jin ahead, his sword flashing streaks of light that were quickly followed by particles of ice and pillars spiking through the ground. Noel gripped her guns tighter as she ran full speed ahead, sliding along the ground and guns firing in seemingly random directions as she slid between legs and appendages. Blood gushed and splattered in her wake, Shades and aliens falling; Noel knew they were still alive and quickly rolled to her feet before turning around, one gun aimed as one of her eyes became covered in crosshairs. Rapidly she fired, moving the gun from head to head, leaving pieces of what could be argued to be brains and blood in the wake of her bullets.

As soon as the disabled enemies exhibited no further vital signs Noel dashed off to another group; meanwhile ahead Jin contended with more complex Shades. These stood half a body taller than he, and were covered in strange armor he could not recall ever seeing on Shades before. One barreled for him, bringing a massive two-headed axe down to cleave him in half—Jin raised his arm, a barrier forming to block the attack. As soon as the axe edge met the barrier his sword hummed in its sheathe, and Jin felt the magic swell through him as his body moved of its own accord. He appeared to shadow step through his enemy, drawing and slashing with his sword through its midsection. The cut erupted with ice and fully entombed the Shade, and when Jin slid the sword back into its sheathe the ice shattered, the Shade falling to the ground and breaking into smaller pieces as it impacted the concrete.

Another took its place quickly, Jin using the end of the sheathe to strike against the metal armor of the alien and force it back. A tentacle protruding from the monstrous being whipped out, grabbing Jin by the arm, but before it could do much a shot rang out and the helmet of the alien went flying, along with its head. The body dropped and Jin tipped a bit with it, jerking his arm free as Noel ran to his side. An insult, a curse and other general unpleasantries were on the tip of his tongue upon seeing the wench, but her focused gaze ahead caught Jin’s attention. He looked ahead, and climbing over the wall he saw it.

“Shit.” Jin swore as the massive Shade, roughly in the shape of a lizard covered in pulsing sacs of god knew what made it over the edge.

“It’s full of seithr.” Noel reported, her tone cold. She was fully immersed in her battle programming it seemed, and Jin hated both it and her tone. “If it reaches the middle of the slums and explodes… it’ll coat the entire city.”

“Causing all of us to Relapse.” Jin finished for her. “With me then, Vermillion.”

In his earpiece, he could hear Tsubaki panickily reporting the new foe. Jin raised his hand, pressing a button on it to speak to the all of the ground units. “ _This is Kisaragi. If your designation number ends in an even number, fall back and assist with the relocation team. Odd numbered units, remain on the defense. Armaros, we need an arena barrier around the new enemy. Vermillion and I will contend with the large Shade._ ”

“ _What?! Jin, just the two of you is suicide--!_ ” Tsubaki protested.

“ _We’re not going to kill it. But we have to hold it back and prevent it from exploding, at least til the relocation is complete._ ” Jin argued. “ _And just an arena barrier won’t contain it if it’s actively hitting the walls._ ”

“ _Lock on them, Tsubaki._ ” Jin could hear Nine in the background. Was Nine now coordinating with the operators? “ _Arena barrier engaging in ten. As soon as relocation is complete, revoke barrier and open Sorcery Channels._ ”

Tsubaki sputtered a protest, but a stern order from Nine shut her up. Jin lowered his hand and without a word sprinted toward his new foe, Noel followed a second behind. A large circle begun to form around the Shade, making it pause in its tracks—now, Jin could make out it had a large tail like a scorpion, but the end of it was disturbingly shaped like a hand. The Shade clung to the wall it was scaling down, head whipping around in confusion as the thin light began to pulse. Jin threw his hand out and jumped, a rail of ice forming as he slid along it toward the wall. Noel felt her heart skip, but she could not fall behind, jumping onto the icy rail and following, as well as praying she didn’t fall off midway.

Both managed to land inside the arena before the magic completed, locking them in with the beast. The Shade turned its snout toward them, making a nasally sort of growl that also sounded disgustingly wet.

“ _Barrier engaged… please be careful._ ” Tsubaki’s voice came through.

Jin couldn’t answer her, the Shade climbing down the wall enough that its front two legs touched the ground. It raised one and slammed it’s foot down, a visible shockwave of force hurtling toward the pair. Jin’s body moved on instinct, reaching over and grabbing Noel to hold closer as he raised his sword, a boulder of ice spiking out of the ground. The shockwave shattered it, but it soaked up the force, leaving the two intact.

Noel was shaking in his hold Jin could feel, but before he could rebuke her for being foolishly afraid she raised one of her guns and fired. The bullet slammed into the snout of the Shade, spurting blood from the puncture and causing it to recoil back in shock. It’d be best not to get too near its feet, leaving Noel to be the one to keep it off balance. Jin did not enjoy the thought of being her shield, but he could put aside prejudice long enough to fight for survival.

The Shade backed up the wall a bit, as much as the arena allowed, and opened its mouth. It gave a squelching sort of sound, followed by a harsh hacking. Several black orbs fell from its maw, spattering on the ground with a sickening squish. Noel shrunk against Jin as the orbs started to unfold, the sound of bones snapping back into place as the smaller Shades assumed a more humanoid look.

Jin was the most gentle he had ever been when he pushed Noel away. “I’ll keep them from you.” He said, assuming his usual stoic stance between her and them. “Keep the big one from me.”

It was almost hilarious to hear it like that, hardly a fair deal, but Noel was further shocked simply from the fact Jin had in some roundabout way admitted he needed her help. All she could do was nod and focus her gaze back on the massive Shade as Jin charged forward, sword flashing as it cut through one and carried him to the other. The large Shade began to move back downward, raising a foot to hit them with a shockwave again, but Noel fired from both guns this time. Two bullets embedded into the oily pads of the Shade’s foot, making it scream.

Jin had gutted the last of the smaller Shades, the ground soaking in the corrupted blood and smelling of vitriol, when the large one brought its tail over its head. The ‘hand’ end of it balled into a fist and was coming down at Noel, who tried to back away but was too slow. Jin threw his hand out, a blunted formation of ice flinging out and knocking her back several feet just as the fit came down. The shockwave of it sent her further back and Noel landed hard on her stomach; Jin took the force to his entire body and was flung back into debris. He attempted to partially use his power to soften the impact, managing to avoid broken bones this time and climbing out of the rocks carefully. He felt a cut on his cheek and a rush of warm blood trailing down to drip off his chin.

Noel pushed herself up with a groan, at least to her knees. The motion was slow, but she did bring her guns together, reconfiguring them into a much larger gatling gun. She managed to get back to her feet and aimed, rapid firing at the Shade. It shifted its tail, ‘hand’ open wide to take on the hail of bullets, in turn showering them with its blood. When the magazine in the gun finally ran out it resumed its twin gun form, and Noel winced when she gazed up. The gun had pulverized the tail end into a bloody stump, but already she could see the end of it squirm. A quick reading told her it was going to regrow.

Jin limped his way back to Noel, grabbing her by the arm to help keep her on her feet. He gazed toward the Shade, teeth clenched and bared. Once he was sure Noel was more sturdy on her feet he rushed forward, ignoring her and Tsubaki as he leapt into the air. He brought his sword down into the Shade’s shoulder and poured every bit of power he had left, ice running through the beast’s veins and splitting the skin as it expanded.

The Shade roared and swung its arm hard, flinging Jin and his sword out and off. The arm was soon completely encased in ice, the frost running up to its shoulder and halfway over the neck. Noel could only continue to fire her bullets as it tried to contend with the frozen part of its body, the projectiles finding a bloody home in it but not slowing it in the least it seemed. The Shade bit its own leg, cracking and breaking the ice enough to free itself.

“Dammit…!” Noel cursed, trying to reform Bolverk again. This time it formed a bazooka and she balanced it on her shoulder, firing a missile at its head.

The Shade turned its head just as the missile impacted, cutting through one of the pustules hanging from its neck. The abscess burst, spilling blood and liquid seithr all over the ground that began to fume upward. Jin quickly backed away, an arm raised up to his face like it’d protect him. He had only so much immunity, and something about this seithr seemed very, very _off_. There was a metallic, pungent scent to it as well as a shiny, oleaginous appearance with the fume a dark green rather than purple or black. Noel gasped, backing away as well from the substance.

“ _Analysis…! That’s…_ ” Tsubaki’s voice cut in. Jin heard the rest, something about a new strand of seithr, but Noel’s mind blocked it out. All she saw for a brief moment was black and neon green veins—a red insane grin. Amber eyes.

She could hear bells. And then screams.

Noel snapped back to reality as a wash of black and red clouded her vision for a moment. She stumbled back further, arms up in a block, but the aura was not aimed at her. She could only gawp with Jin as a gigantic hand, made purely of energy and magic, grabbed the Shade by the snout and ripped it from the wall it clung to.

“ _Breach in barrier! Unknown lifeform! Unable to lock on!_ ” Tsubaki yelled.

“ _That can’t be…_ ” Nine’s voice followed.

The hand slammed the Shade into the wall, shattering what remained of it as well as the barrier. The arena vanished and the Shade shrieked; the hand letting it go. The blonds followed the tendrils to a taller, broader humanoid form that sprinted to the edge, witnessing as the Shade retreated. By the sound of footsteps Jin determined it was fleeing. He tensed, then stepped more protectively in front of Noel, sword gripped tightly in his hand. Something about the red and black clothes, the massive sword on the stranger’s back and the spiked, silvery hair had him on a far different edge. Something in him started to roil, and in his grip Yukianesa trembled and gave deranged shrieks in his head.

“W-wait!” Noel stuttered, stepping closer to Jin’s side. “He’s a Replicant… he’s not a Nox but… he’s more like a human…”

“More like…? That makes no sense, woman!” Jin snapped.

Noel cringed. “His… his right arm… and his right eye, I can’t analyze them… but he seems merged otherwise…”

The stranger finally turned to acknowledge them, and Jin felt like his heart ceased to beat when he took in the man’s eyes. The left a relatively normal green, but that ‘unanalyzable’ red right eye made him freeze. The men locked eyes, and Jin’s heart began to beat again at an unreasonable quick rate. It stole his breath and scrambled his brain. It hurt. Everything hurt all of a sudden.

“Jin?” the man questioned, yet the fact he knew his name did not bother Jin. Jin raised one of his hands to cradle his head, trying to calm the screaming.

The man turned his gaze to Noel. “S… Saya?”

The name was not hers, but she knew it. Noel knew of the original Murakumo, the Replicant body all were based off of, as well as the soul given to the Goddess to curry her favor. The soul that synched only with those smelted perfectly in her image, whatever that image actually was. But how did he know?

Noel gave a short gasp, guns dropping as her hands came to cover her ears. Her eyes were fixed on the man, who looked bewildered by her reaction. He said something, but she couldn’t hear it. Another voice was filling her mind, images flashing by. An elite group, with Murakumos among them—a sense of longing, only slightly dampened by a gentle touch—shrieks and guttural cries of the dying—the black and green and gold, the flash of red, disbelief and agony. The creation of a massive beast, tearing apart enemies and comrades alike.

“Saya!” was what was said.

Noel heard, “ _Nu!_ ”

A closer scream pulled Noel from the network, and she fell backward as Jin rushed forward. Metal clashed on metal as the stranger had the sense to bring his large sword forward to meet the smaller blade of Yukianesa. Noel couldn’t see his face, but Jin gave an almost crazed cackle. Was he Relapsing?!

“ _Destroy the Beast Unit!_ ” Nine’s voice barked in her internal communications device. “ _Do not suffer him to survive again!_ ”

“Wait!” Noel gasped, scrambling to her feet as Jin swung his sword wildly at the man’s, the ‘Beast Unit.’ This was not Jin. He was never so wild, primal; where was his usual stoic elegance, the precise and deadly strikes? Tsubaki tried to talk to him, to settle him despite her own panicking, but Noel could tell it was no good. Nine’s order was absolute. Did the Sorcery Channels open and she infected him with Mind Eater?

Seeing Jin attempt to cut the man down made Noel’s own heart feel heavy. The network she was connected to began to static, agitation and anger filling it and attempting to find a place in her. Noel cut her connection before it could, and she rushed forward, grabbing Jin’s sleeve and jerking him back right as the stranger actually swung back.

“Stop! He helped us! Jin!!” Noel begged. “Jin, _please_!”

Jin tried to pull away as he turned his glare to her, and now Noel could see his face. His eyes were wide and wild, an insane smirk on his lips, and she quickly looked for any black runes or smoke on his skin. No Scrawl. No Relapse.

“Dammit…! They tampered with you, too?!” The stranger swore, but he took his chance, turning and leaping off the wall he had thrown the Shade. Jin broke free of Noel’s grasp and raced for the edge, Tsubaki screaming at him to stop.

Thankfully Jin did at the edge, breathing hard as he watched the speck of black, red and white disappear into the smoke. Noel was honestly too afraid to go close, her arms slowly wrapping around herself as she noted him shaking, hands balled into fists. When he slowly turned from the edge and faced her, Noel tensed, expecting him to yell at her. Maybe even strike at her for stopping him.

Jin just walked past her, not a word or glance her way. There was a long silence as Noel watched him walk away from her, half limping really, and heading back toward the landing point.

“ _Re… relocation successful._ ” Tsubaki’s voice jolted Noel out of her daze. “ _Large Shade still active… and… ‘Beast Unit’ also still at large. All deployed units, return to landing ground. Sorcery Channels open for teleportation in fifteen._ ”

Noel shook her head, trying to shake off the feeling the network left on her. She was not too keen to reconnect to it, but it was her only advantage over the Nox and other soldiers. Carefully Noel reinstated herself into the PFD network, bracing herself. When she expected random memories and rage, she felt waves of sadness. She attempted to keep herself settled and grounded against the sensation, hurrying back to the landing point. Jin was already barking orders when she arrived, and Noel immediately sought Makoto’s more calm presence and stepped up to her friend when she found her.

Makoto looked at her in shock, raising her hands to cup Noel’s cheeks and brush the tears away. “Noel? Are you okay?”

Noel’s look of shock did not match the tears streaming from her eyes. The words she said matched neither. “They lied.”


	6. Significance / Nothing

“What the hell happened, Jin?”

Jin ducked into his bathroom and Tsubaki rushed forward, grabbing the handle before he could close it. Through the slit they locked eyes, Tsubaki’s narrowed but worried as Jin simply looked tired.

They held onto the door for a while before Jin sighed heavily. “I don’t know.” He let the door go, letting Tsubaki open it back up. “I just… I don’t know, Tsubaki.”

“You went completely berserk.” Tsubaki said, and it wasn’t as accusatory as he was expecting. “You scared me half to death! I thought you had Relapsed!”

So did everyone else. Jin saw the way anyone who heard about his episode—and by the time he was back, all of Armaros heard of it—seemed to eye his skin. When a Replicant went into Relapse, their body begun to be covered in the Scrawl: a name for the black runes and symbols that appear as the body breaks down and becomes an alien. Jin had checked himself as well, but not a single mark outside the usual battle wounds.

“I know. I can’t explain what happened. Everything just went crazy all at once and by the time I realized it, Vermillion had already pulled me away.” Jin recounted the best he could. “I don’t even know who that was.”

Tsubaki glanced over her shoulder, making sure his main door was closed. Jin stepped out of the bathroom, and she stepped closer as if it’d matter. “Mistress Nine said it was a ‘Beast Unit.’” She said quietly. “I looked it up… they were like, the prototypes for Nox Nyctores.”

Jin’s brow furrowed. “But weren’t they all destroyed when Handmaiden Nu went crazy?”

“That’s what I thought too. Whatever happened back then, she supposedly absorbed them all and made the Black Beast monstrosity. It took them four days to kill it and extract Nu out, but it had already destroyed six cities and decimated little less than half of both humanity _and_ the aliens and Shades. After that, production of weaponized Replicants was halted for years.” Tsubaki recalled. “I’ll try to dig a bit more… but, you should have _seen_ Mistress Nine when she saw the video feed! She had a fireball in her hands like she could incinerate him through the screens!”

“Were the Sorcery Channels open? Did she cast a spell on me?”

“She denies it, and the Channels weren’t open yet.” The red-head replied. “It’s like she knew him and hated him on a very, very personal level. Between the two of you I was ready to have a heart attack and die.”

For a brief second Jin looked completely distressed. Even as a joke he found himself despairing at the mere mention of Tsubaki dying. “Don’t say that.”

Tsubaki was not too sure how to take his reaction. But perhaps in light of the state of the war, it probably was a poor choice of words. “I’m sorry. But… maybe you should get checked out? If that guy shows up anymore, we can’t have you going crazy every time.”

Jin glanced to his sword, set neatly in its stand near his bed. The soul in it remained stubbornly silent, and Jin sighed softly. “I don’t think it’s anything to do with my Replicant. The man knew my name. He also referred to Vermillion as ‘Saya,’ as in the original. Yukianesa won’t tell me anything, but I think that’s a key point.”

“That… you two knew each other when you were human?”

“It’s the only logical conclusion I have, although why Yukianesa would react like that I’m not sure at all.” Jin admitted. “If you can find out his designation, Tsubaki… I’d appreciate it. Maybe if I find out _who_ he is, I’ll know the _why_ and I can stop it.”

She did not look ready to leave him just yet. Once more Tsubaki glanced to the door, still closed, and she quickly hugged him. Jin made an odd noise at the sudden embrace, but when it was apparent she was not going to let go, he carefully and slowly returned the gesture. It was awkward at first, but just like before he found himself sinking into it and holding her a little more naturally, one hand raising off her back to pet her hair lightly.

“Please be more careful from now on.” Tsubaki requested quietly.

She asked the same thing, over and over. Jin always gave her the stoic answer, but this time perhaps he should try to be more… sympathetic. It wasn’t the most realistic, but for once he complied with her unsaid request. “I will.”

Tsubaki held onto him a bit tighter at those two words, and Jin quietly complied then as well. Eventually he did have to initiate the motion of pulling away, and Tsubaki did so reluctantly. He had missions to do, and so did she. The redhead glanced aside, then before he could gently push her aside she stood on her toes and her lips touched his cheek.

It was hilariously quick and impulsive, barely even felt, but it was enough. Jin found his eyes darting to meet hers, but Tsubaki had glanced away, looking embarrassed. Bold displays of affection were not exactly her strong suit, and neither were they his, but Jin oddly thought he’d be the one to start _that_. Before he could actually react beyond surprise, Tsubaki mumbled a farewell and was out his door, out of sight, letting Jin sit there and marvel at the minute warmth her lips left.

That was the most they’d ever touched. Of course it happened when they were embroiled in such a bitter, horrible war. Normally, Jin shrugged off such things; he had an inkling he’d probably discourage it normally, at least until better times were achieved. He reached and wiped off his cheek, feeling odd. It was a simple little kiss on the cheek, something a child could do, but he could never recall in any of his ‘gifted’ memories of his human life when they even did that. Had they ever even held hands? Did he misinterpret what few lingering memories and feelings he inherited from his Gestalt?

But even if he did, Jin found himself content with it. They had cultivated this, why condemn it? Yet, once they were human, would they recall it? Would they pick up where the Replicants left off or revert back to whatever before was? If it were anything else, would he want to go back?

Yukianesa flared at the thought, and Jin quieted it when a shake of his head. These were not important, not in the grand scheme, but they were to him on a more personal level. Yet Jin knew he needed to smother his mind when his thoughts went that direction. Relapsing could come from rejection of the original soul. Even if they did ‘revert back’ to a point they were not close, Jin had a clue from Yukianesa that they’d make it work somehow.

Perhaps it all wasn’t so as one-sided as he thought.

Jin repaired and replaced the parts of his uniform and gear that needed it before he left the room to prepare for the next mission. Sleeping would only drive his mind either further into thoughts of him and Tsubaki, or into the pit of madness as he lingered too much on that silver-haired, heterochromatic eyed stranger. Perhaps, though, he wasn’t as much of a stranger as Jin thought.

 

* * *

 

 

While it was her ideal, Tsubaki was not always Jin’s operator. She always worried more when she wasn’t, but now that he entrusted her with a task, she had something to channel that energy into besides gnawing on her gloves and waiting, counting the minutes. While not assigned to anyone and the missions being all relatively the same, Tsubaki stole away to another area of Armaros set aside for research and study. There wasn’t much in terms of ‘school’ anymore given the world-scale of the war, and any children not old enough to enlist in the military simply underwent Gestaltization with both halves sealed in doubly protected storehouses, but people still had the passion to learn new things. The Council had deemed it appropriate to give all opportunities for everyone to keep learning, and if nothing else, it kept everyone relatively sane in these chaotic times.

Tsubaki made sure she always picked the most isolated spot, as she was not sure if this was really a proper thing to look up. The database was meant only for work, but she was asked, so she used her operator authority to access it and began her search. As operator she knew the ins and outs of the database, as well as how to mask her log ins and searches to a point. Looking up ‘Beast Unit’ seemed obviously a bad move, but perhaps there was some public information she could go off of and get a lead to pursue.

The public entry in the server about the Beast Units was exactly what she told Jin: the “original” Nox Nyctores, exceptionally strong souls that underwent Gestaltization and given weaponized bodies. Unlike today’s Nox, however, they did not carry their Gestalts in their weapons. Instead they were partnered with a Murakumo, and shared their power. It was a bid to double their Murakumo numbers since creating them was such a long and arduous process, and for a time it worked. However, ‘something’ happened to Handmaiden Number Thirteen, Nu, that caused her to go insane. From there the article went on about the monstrous Black Beast that ravaged the world until six exceptional units were able to take it out and extract Nu.

Tsubaki frowned at the screen, then begun to carefully narrow her search. She looked up information on Nu-13, the article sparse after the incident. When it was apparent the public articles were carefully gleaned to lead to nothing, Tsubaki knew she was going to have to delve deeper and risk getting in trouble.

But what was the worst that could happen? They’d fire her? Not in the middle of a war.

That in mind Tsubaki brought up the system prompt screen. It took some fiddling and a few well timed keystrokes, but it did not take Tsubaki too long to dive beyond the first few layers of security. Her operator code could get her that far easily enough.

However, even at this depth, information was sparse. She learned there was only a handful of these Beast Units made before the incident, and all others were terminated. No names. Not even information of their Gestalts was available. Surely the _names_ were not so confidential?

Or perhaps now it is, given one of these units has shown up. Tsubaki gave a quick look around before she began to try and hack in a bit deeper.

Hacking was _not_ Tsubaki’s strong suit, and her options were limited. What little she knew was taught to her by those here in Armaros, so it made sense a good bit of her effort yielded nothing. But Tsubaki was patient, and even as time ticked away she kept trying her avenues. Here and there she could snag a tidbit, but there was no names. No identities, nothing to go back to Jin with. Perhaps more than anything she did not want to disappoint Jin with a failure. The system would kick her out over and over, but she’d either force herself back in or wait the timer out.

By the time the clock struck ten at night, Tsubaki was no closer and the system was unyielding. She sighed heavily, shutting off the console and getting up, placing her hat on her head. Perhaps she should just confront Mistress Nine, or even the Commander, about this. Surely if Nine knew, Carl did. Tsubaki smoothed out her clothes, pausing when she noticed the console’s screen was still on. Her brow furrowed at the blinking window in the corner, clicking it open. It displayed a prompt, asking for permission to upload a file she did not recall trying to open.

Perhaps she was just tired. Tsubaki set it to upload, and once it was done she turned the console off again. She could look at it tomorrow. Once she was sure it was off, Tsubaki took off to check on Jin. Surely by now he was back. She made it to his room, the door unlocked as usual, but he was not within; she could tell he had been there recently, as Yukianesa was still there. Anytime Jin left the sword it was for only for a few minutes, so Tsubaki sat herself in a chair to wait.

Jin did return shortly, looking startled when he saw Tsubaki waiting for him. “You’re… here.” He said, as if it was the last thing he expected.

“Of course I am. It’s not too late, is it?” Tsubaki asked politely, standing to greet him with a small smile. “You look fairly well. Taking my request seriously, I see.”

Jin glanced aside, meaning to speak, but an odd color caught Tsubaki’s eyes. In his hand she saw something delicately white, almost seeming to glow, and she tilted her head. “What’s that, Jin?” she asked before he could hide it.

Not that he was going to, anyway. Instead of answering her Jin simply stepped closer, reaching out. Tsubaki kept still, her eyes catching the sight of the color again just before he pinned it carefully in her hair. The girl stood confused for a few seconds before looking toward the mirror, her confusion turning to a mixture of glee and shock when she saw the gorgeous flower in her hair.

“Jin!” Tsubaki gasped, turning her eyes back to him. “It’s… is it really? A Lunar Tear?”

Jin set his hand on his hip and again looked away, trying to not seem as embarrassed as he felt. Gift giving was _not_ something he was accustomed to. “I just… found it when out on a mission. I had a few minutes, so… and I know Nanaya had some idea where I could make it into a proper hairclip without damaging it.” He stopped himself when he realized that wasn’t really her question, clearing his throat and looking back to her. “Yes, it’s a Lunar Tear.”

Tsubaki looked to the mirror once more, a hand reaching up to touch the silky petals delicately. Lunar Tears were rare, and difficult to cultivate, but even once plucked never lost their vibrancy or beauty. There was a lot of meaning to the flower, and plenty of legends and myths. As she admired it, Tsubaki made a simple wish on it. After all, those who had one would have their wish granted.

Jin watched her admire the flower, letting himself smile slightly for now. She seemed happy, and something about that just made his own chest feel lighter. There was a little less burden, for a little while, right then for the both of them. Something as simple as a flower… Jin did not put any stock in urban legends or silly myths, but even a part of him had a small wish to put on the bloom.

Maybe they had the same wish. It would be nice, he thought, to have something good in the middle of this god-forsaken war.

 

* * *

 

 

“It’s no good.” Noel lamented, falling back onto the bed with a heavy thud. “I can’t access the database through the PFD Network. The security is heightened and my identification doesn’t rank high enough to override.”

Makoto sighed. “This blows. None of the higher ups are willing to tell me anything either. You’d think the brink of the end of the world would make the whole ‘military secrets’ thing go away.” She crawled into the bed with Noel, laying on her side beside the blond. “Well, don’t push your luck. Let’s not get dinged for insubordination… not til the security dies down.”

“I don’t know if it will.” Noel replied, settling her hands to knit over her stomach as she stared at the ceiling lights. “I imagine Nine went ahead and upped the security herself to prevent anyone from figuring out who that guy was…”

“And you’re _sure_ he called you Saya?” Makoto asked. “Not that I don’t believe you, but it was a pretty intense moment in time…”

Noel gave a hard sigh. “I’m very sure.” She said. “I replay the recording in my head over and over… he called for Jin and called me Saya. And… and I felt Nu’s memories.”

Makoto frowned, reaching over and barely touching Noel’s cheek. The action made the blond blush. “And that’s why you were crying and out of it?”

“Er… I think so.” Noel replied, trying to ignore her own embarrassed stammer. “And I heard Nine call him a Beast Unit… Nu would know them all. I guess, seeing one jumpstarted her a bit… but she’s been silent again since. Honestly I had no idea she was even connected to the network anymore. I thought most of my data was from Lambda…”

“Then… why not connect to Nu?” Makoto asked. “If she’s on the network enough she can influence you, can’t you talk back and ask her?”

Noel sighed. “I tried. She’s silent. The signal goes through but I get no response… maybe that one moment exhausted her. I’ll try again later.” Noel rolled to her side, closer to Makoto and setting her head on the other girl’s shoulder. “For now… I’m honestly exhausted too…”

Makoto wrapped her arms around Noel, shifting just a touch closer. “Then rest.”

Noel did just that. Although in many technical ways she was stronger than Makoto, the other had some aura about her that always made Noel feel safe and protected. Maybe it was all the years running to her when the insults and snubbing grew too much, or just the fact Makoto was the first person to genuinely not give a damn about her ‘incomplete’ status. Noel felt herself sinking into Makoto’s embrace and her exhaustion ebbing away as she relaxed in the warmth, grateful she had her friend so close after such an encounter.

It was these quiet moments that made this war bearable. So long as she had Makoto, surely Noel could face anything. She felt like she could.

 

* * *

 

The city was a lot of hustle and bustle as usual. Being one of the top fortified cities afforded the people the luxury of a basic daily life as _humans_ , not as Replicants worrying over their Gestalts stored away in storehouses. Ishana’s mages were a spoiled lot, using magic and alchemy to fortified and lengthen their lives instead of relying on the former One’s tried and true project. Of course, Ishana’s mages in general had little care for the outside world, their city being so self-sustaining, that they did not care for the RED. The rest of the world could clean up, and Ishana would still be here.

That was the thought, anyway. Honestly, their high and mighty way of thinking made Hazama sick. But what went around came around, as he heard through the ages and worlds, so he just stepped around the people and headed for his destination. He kept one hand in his pocket, the other set on his hat just in case one of the spoiled brat humans got too close as he stalked down the main street. People passed by him without a care or worry or knowledge of what was truly going on outside their precious little bubble.

Hazama felt the haze before he stepped through the magic. The busy city vanished as he continued through the special portal, entering a wholly new city. Gothic-inspired structures surrounded him, still and silent, his footsteps echoing in the air as he strolled down the wide empty street. Nothing, not even the air it seemed, moved except for him. The foreboding sense of being completely and utterly alone didn’t hit Hazama until he entered the massive cathedral and was swallowed by its immense walls. The entire city of Ishana’s population could fill this palace and probably still comfortably fit another medium city’s people. Such a massive space, now so empty, made the emptiness in himself all the more profound. A single person would have been driven mad by the loneliness of the place.

Eventually, finally, Hazama passed through the ornate and massive double doors, a wide smile on his face as the long hallway room greeted him in return. All the way at the end, hilariously small against the massive religious statues and wall ornaments, sat a lonely throne. Hazama waited until he was halfway up the room, hoping to be acknowledged first, but it was a pipe dream it seemed.

“Whatcha readin’?” Hazama asked amicably as he kept walking up the hall.

The figure on the throne turned the page, finishing the passage before even acknowledging that. Finally, once he was closer, Hazama finally got a look aimed toward him. “Ah, Hazama.”

Hazama finally stopped, hands in his pockets. “You know, it wouldn’t kill you to go outside sometimes. In fact, you should come out with me. I’m having all sorts of fun messing with these people!”

Another page flip, the attention taken off him. Something twinge in Hazama at how easily he was dismissed. “By that report I take it all is going according to plan?”

Hazama lost his honest smile, the corners of his lips falling slightly. “Yeah. At least, _this_ plan.”

Once more he had the other’s attention, and it seemed for now he had it fully. “Really, you didn’t honestly think I didn’t _know_ , did you? I can smell fresh blood a mile away… sense magic a world away… _especially_ Song. _Especially_ by you. You really don’t put much stock in me, in us, do you? You’re the worst Intoner _ever_.”

There was a moment of silence, complete stillness, as if they were lifeless images from that very book. But the moment is shattered and the silence obliterated by the solid thud of the book coming to a close. The swish of fabric, gentle and soft, roared in Hazama’s ears as the other man stood from the throne and the cape he wore rippled in place around him.

Mockingly, Hazama took his hat off and bowed. “But of course, I mean that affectionately. After all, you’re _my_ Intoner.”

“If that displeases you, there have been plenty of moments in the timelines where a Disciple killed or helped kill their Intoner. Will you strike me down?”

The rhetoric question wiped even a fake smile off Hazama’s lips and he straightened, hat back on his head. “I’m not _just_ your Disciple. You really are an ass to remind me of that in that way. Really, why are you so rude, _One_?”

The frown he got made Hazama feel slightly better. But only slightly, and it made Hazama briefly wish for times before, and times elsewhere, when he could weasel a smile out of the other. It made this all a bit more bearable if there was comradery again. But the slight pulse of magic he felt originating from the Intoner’s eye, from under that golden opera mask, reminded him that the years were catching up and even Intoners got old and bitter.

But this was neither here nor there; this time or the last. Perhaps later, but it seemed only business was going to be tolerated.  Suppression did not suit his dear Intoner, not at all.

He was just going to have to fix that, too.


	7. Descendeus

The room echoed with the clinks and chimes of metal impacting metal, occasionally punctured by the sound of a boyish mumbling. Fingers moved nimbly to navigate over plates and wires carefully, gently shifting gears and replacing less than perfect components. Soulless eyes watched Carl’s hands, unreactive to his motions or his mutterings as he carefully checked the interior condition of the doll’s wrist. Once he pried aside the metal and machinery to reveal the claw inserts, Carl tapped it with a tiny hammer. The composition of sound shifted—metal now struck bone, yet even that sound had a sort of metallic ring to it. A thrum of magic, and it was exactly as Carl wanted to hear.

He put the hand back together, and once he was done he carefully held the massive doll hand between his. “Can you hear me… Sis?” he asked quietly.

The doll made no sound, and yet as if distant, Carl heard a whisper of a voice. His palms pressed harder against Nirvana’s. “Yeah… yeah, I know. It’s a little confusing, but I promise this is where you should be. It was a bit crazy there, huh…”

Carl gently set Nirvana’s hand down, and the doll now watched his every move more intently. Her head followed him as Carl moved about the workshop, picking up tools and discarded rusted parts to put and throw away respectively. The whispering grew closer, and Carl smiled as the connection strengthened more from Nirvana’s effort than his own.

“Yeah… you’re right.” Carl answered her gently. “Maybe it was, but something _had_ to change. So… please, realize this. I need you as always, Sis… not just as a weapon. You’re still Ada.”

The whispering grew quiet, but Carl did not feel too worried. It was a lot to take in, and even if she were in that body, he knew his sister was still in there as well. She needed time to adjust just like anyone else. As he let her think things over Carl continued to pick up the workshop, leaving it as impeccably clean as he first entered it. Every tool went into its place, lined up perfectly with its neighbor; extra materials were returned to their neat and perfect stacks. Disorder was not something Carl tolerated much of.

When the voice came again, it was much stronger. Like old times. “No. I haven’t.” Carl answered, turning back to the doll. “But together, we’ll find him… and we’ll make him pay.”

He stepped back to his sister, once more taking up one of her massive ‘hands’ in his. Nirvana reacted more to this, her other arm coming around to almost embrace the boy. “Ada… I know you hate war,” Carl muttered. “But this is how the world is now and I have a lot of people’s lives as my responsibility. I can’t do it alone anymore… join me. Help me save them… and find _him_.”

Nirvana’s face never changed her expression, even if Carl knew she had the technology installed to do so even in minuscule amounts. Despite being created centuries ago and left to rot uncared for in the company of Shades for so long, she was mostly immaculate. That was perhaps one thing Carl could admit: his father was perfect at his sick craft. And to think he only would grow more powerful and skilled over time… Carl felt like vomit was building in the back of his throat. He always wondered, were there others? Surely Ada was not the only participate of the alpha run of Gestaltization and her body being transformed into this bionic weapon. Yet he never saw anymore, even after his own Gestaltization…

“Ada… were there others?” Carl asked, and the doll seemed to grow even stiller. “Did Father bribe you? Threatened you? I still don’t understand why…”

Yet despite it being such an obvious burning question, Nirvana was silent. Carl often wondered if somehow, for some reason, Relius had programmed Ada’s new body to refuse to answer such inquiry. No matter how much Carl would beg before, Nirvana was silent. She spoke about anything but that and it drove Carl mad in ways he didn’t even quite get himself. Sometimes he wondered if Ada did it willingly, but who would so willingly give up their humanity and be experimented on? To be turned into a doll?

Carl sighed heavily, but gently patted Nirvana’s hand. “It’s alright… I suppose it doesn’t matter at this point. Now we have you properly primed and updated, so battle from now on should be a lot smoother.”

He looked over the doll’s face, but instead of the emotionless mask he saw bright blue eyes, a gentle and warm smile; actual pale skin and golden blond hair. Even after all he did, he saw Ada. “We may have to use our power, Sis…” he said slowly. “I thought of a way we can with low risk of madness… but the risk is still there. Will you be my Intoner and Disciple, Sis, and accept me as yours?”

There was a moment of silence, then a whisper in his mind. Carl laughed. “You would make a joke! Don’t worry, we don’t have to be _that_ kind of Intoner and Disciple.”

Nirvana tilted her head, and Carl smiled. “Thank you, Sis. They need us… and together, we’ll protect them. We’ll avenge you and show _him_ that we can save humanity where he failed to.”

The room echoed with Carl’s voice and nothing more, save the occasional sound of metal being ever so gently patted.

* * *

 

Some things never changed, including people’s reactions to the giant doll that followed Carl around Armaros. Even after centuries of war against freaks, Carl could not help his amusement at the wide-eyed looks Nirvana gained sometimes. Despite the passage of time he found himself easily ignoring the majority of it just as he used to, speaking glibly to the doll as usual and ignoring any looks he got. The only ones who seemed indifferent by Nirvana were Nine and, ironically, Noel. Noel he could understand however, given both were artificial and she probably could hear Nirvana’s voice. Nine… well, Nine had seen too much to really care.

 Nirvana did seem wholly different off the battlefield. She stood up straight, her body seemed to be concealed in a cloak as she followed Carl about the base and he went about his usual commander business. Hiding her claws seemed to make people tense, but Carl highly doubted they wanted to see them out and about either. The only solace they had was the fact she fought at his command now. Seeing her in action when he did a few missions reminded them this was a weapon: a weapon completely foreign to them and obviously powerful.

If only these people truly knew.

It was only a matter of time before Carl would be forced to show the true power lurking under Nirvana’s metallic shell, and under his own skin. Once that happened, it was only a matter of time before the real truth came out. Carl was not looking forward to that, but in the end he was justified and had every proper and right reason. In the end, they would follow him or not.

A whisper, and Carl tilted his head. “Yes, I know.” He said suddenly, a few passersby going at attention at the sound of his voice. Yet he passed them by, and they relaxed in confusion until they realized he once again was speaking to the doll. “But it’ll be alright. Things will work out, somehow.”

That’s what Carl told himself often, anyway. He did what he had to, to ensure the survival of humanity. Even Nine would agree. Out of everyone, Sage Nine would always be both his greatest ally and most deadly suspicion. It was no secret she had high disdain not just of his father, but the Goddess and the entire effort to protect Her. The Handmaidens, the Takamagahara System they were all networked to… old creations, all in essence dictating humanity and keeping them ahead in this war. Nine was his ally so long as they fought the same enemy. But as soon as that was over…

No. That actually was not his concern. When this war was over, all concerns of his would cease to exist. That was in the best interest of humanity, and they would need someone as passionate about _humanity_ as Nine to lead them. They could not cower under his protection forever, and the Goddess would have to be free to finally assume Her proper position.

Carl paused, hands folding together in front of his stomach. He had come to terms with this long ago, and yet Ada only just returned to his side. She should have some sort of say. They should probably talk about it—

                                                                **_No._**

It was such a powerful incantation, echoing deep in his skull down to his heart. Yet he did not bother questioning it at all and simply walked through the doors of command to assume his place at the council table.

All of their fates were sealed. Ada was right, there was no need to discuss it. After all, the original One had said it herself, just before her own final battle.

_“This world has no place for **us**.”_


End file.
